


The King's Court

by PotatoSlayer



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 15:33:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 66,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18501856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoSlayer/pseuds/PotatoSlayer





	1. Chapter 1

It is an innate human right to do the things we like to do.

The sound of an object being bounced around could be heard across the field.  It ricocheted off the trees and carried across the wind as frazzled birds took to the sky, cawing their displeasure.

It is an innate human right to follow our dreams.

And it is inevitable that we do so…

The playground was wide open and it had a little of everything for all the children.  There was a swingset on one side that wasn’t new by any means, but it was free of rust and thus safe for the children to even climb around on when they felt the need to do so.  There was a jungle gym as well as many slides and sandboxes, nets for playing soccer, a wide open grassy field that always went unused and in the very corner, there was a small splash of pavement with two basketball goals.

The orange orb surfed through the net, causing a cheer to fill the silence.

There was a woman or girl, depending on your own opinion, wearing long shorts that hung over her knees and a large, loose tank top.  She was covered in sweat and it caused her cherry auburn blonde hair to stick to her cheeks and neck.  Normally she would be a pale girl, but with her workout, her face and body was stained in red and she was panting heavily.  She was of medium stature.  She wasn’t super skinny, but she wasn’t overweight either.  She was very well built as there was not an ounce of fat on her, but she was a little more muscular than most girls her age.   But that’s what happened to girls who turn into sports nuts.

The girl bounced on her toes, her arms in a V in the air as she cheered to herself over and over.  She turned her back to the net and the ball and called out, “Did you see that,  Kamui -sama!?”

On the opposite side of the pavement, another girl was curled up in a ball leaning against the other basketball goal.  This girl was wearing a big burly hoodie and sweatpants that were as black as the mop of hair on her head.  Her wild, unruly curls came down into her face, almost completely hiding her eyes and thick framed glasses.  Her smile was also covered by a thick layer of braces, but none of it prevented her from tucking her face away into her computer.  The girl didn’t even look up as she quickly typed away at her computer.  She explained, “Good job.  You finally got one after half an hour.”

“Hey!  I’m getting better.  It took me an hour last time.”  The other girl stated, putting her hands on her hips.  She was still out of breath, but that didn’t stop her from wanting the recognition she deserved.

After a while of  Kamui  continuing to type away, she finally stated, “Miyo, your angle is too low.  If you want the ball to properly glide through the net, the arc of your shot from that distance should be just a little over sixty degrees.  In the gym, without wind, you’d want it at about 55 degrees.”

Miyo nodded her head and retrieved her ball.  She placed her feet exactly where she was – nearly the half court line and took the shot again.  Her eyes widened when the ball sailed in without so much as even touching the rim.  It was a perfect shot.  “How’d you figure that out,  Kamui -sama?”

“It’s math.”  She answered simply.

Miyoko Asani and  Kamui Sawamura  were the best of friends and had been for long years now, des pite being polar opposites.  Mi yoko, once she hit puberty and started growing such long arms and legs, had sailed high above the rest of the girls in their class when it came to sports.  She began playing them all year long and was always going out for runs and staying active.  With her love of sports growing, her desire for competition had increased as well.  Meanwhile,  Kamui  had never quite come out of her shell.  She wasn’t out of shape because her older brother always kept her active at home and hardly ever let her do what she really wanted to do – be on the computer.  Her life was intertwined with the circuitry of her machine.  Everything she lived for was on the screen or inside of it.  It hindered her ability to make friends, but that didn’t matter to Miyoko.  They were able to talk about silly things and reach out to each other despite living in completely different worlds.

Kamui  closed her laptop and stood up.  But the second her notebook was put away, she pulled out her phone and was right back to work.  Without looking up from the screen, she stated, “We should get going.  We don’t want to be late.”

“Oh yeah.”  Miyo picked up her basketball and trotted after her friend as she asked, “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

“It’s surprise.”   Kamui  answered plainly.

“That doesn’t tell me anything!”  She whined.  “We’re going with your brother, right?  Won’t that be weird?”

“No.  I just ignore him.”

“That’s easier for you than it is normal people.”

“I don’t get what you mean.”

Miyo patted Kamui’s back and laughed.  “Of course not.”

The gym was loud with cheers, excitement and a gym floor full of players stretching and preparing for their matches.  Kamui was sitting on the bleachers with her laptop open and typing away once again.  Miyo returned to her side and laughed happily, “I can’t believe you actually brought me with you to a volleyball tournament with your brother.”

“He forced me to come.  I didn’t want to be stuck hanging out with him.”  Kam stated honestly.  “And you like sports so I thought that you’d have a good time.”

“Heck yeah!”  Miyo laughed, setting two waters between them.  “I’ve honestly never watched mens volleyball before but I played on the womens volleyball team my first year of junior high.  It’s fun.  Do you like it?”

“I don’t like any sports.”  Kam answered, still not looking up from her screen.  “But I know of them.  My brother is annoying when it comes to his volleyball rants.  It’s the only sport I’ve played.”

“You played volleyball?”  Miyo asked in amazement.  She felt a little guilty, but she assumed that her best friend never spent time off of her computer.  Images of her trying to balance the little black laptop while returning a serve plagued her mind and caused her to start choking after taking a gulp of water.  “Are you any good?”

“Brother says I am.”  Kam answered.  “But I think he just says that so I won’t get mad and go back to my room.  He says getting no sunlight is bad for my skin so he’s always making me go out and play with him.  When I was very young I would just toss for him and I used to admire how good he was.  Then as I got into elementary school and older, he started teaching me how to receive and actually play.  Before long it became a routine.  We practice every weekend and when we have an argument, we settle it with a match.”

Miyo’s expression brightened and he stated suddenly, “Let’s play sometime then!”

Kamui adjusted her glasses and flatly answered, “No.”

Miyo whined.  “Why not?”

“I don’t like it.  I only play because I have to.”  Kamui stated.

Miyo rolled her eyes.  From the story she just told, it didn’t sound anything like she was being forced, but rather that she did kind of enjoy it.  A small smile curved her lips.  Though, it looked as though the computer was more her hobby than  sports so she wouldn’t force her into anything.

The matches of the tournament began and Miyo followed the crowd and cheered for every great hit and booed every poor sportsmanship or bad call.  At first glance, it would appear that Kamui had never once looked up from her computer to acknowledge a game was even going on, but to Miyo’s surprise, whenever she made a comment, it was answered with a well-thought out analysis of what the team could do to get better.

But the real excitement came when the most interesting match of the day commenced.  She heard whispers through the crowd about a supposed ‘King of the Court’ and just how good he was.  She could tell just from looking that the team was all seriousness.  There would be playing around for this  team for sure.  But when Miyo got a look at the other team, she frowned.  They looked like a bunch of little kids that were just there to laugh and play around.  The one with orange hair looked especially awed and excited to be in a match.  She wondered just how badly they would be annihilated by this other team.

“This doesn’t look like much of a match up.”  Miyo stated, resting her elbow on her knee.

“The little ones aren’t even volleyball players.”  Kamui stated.  “The orange haired boy keeps reminding them of where they’re supposed to stand and how to correctly hit the ball.”

Miyo pursed her lips.  Sure enough when she focused hard enough, she could see that one would start to shift and asked the other boy a question and he’d politely answer and guide them back.  Why were they at a tournament if they’d never played?  Despite that, though, when they got to the net, the orange haired boy was glaring determinedly at one of the guys on the opposite team.  It appeared as though he believed he could win.

After a while, it was apparent that his hopes were all false dreams. The lead was growing on the shorter, out of place boys and by halfway through the set, it looked hopeless.  The only points they had gotten were faults from t he other team.  But finally, by  some miracle, one of the receives were returned and one of the boys got the ball into the air.  With the most excited and pure expression on his face, the orange haired boy jumped wildly into the air, getting so high that she didn’t believe his legs knew what physics were.  He nailed the ball, only to have the wall of the other team, block it easily back to his side of the net.

The look of disappointment on his face was so strong that Miyo felt her heart go out to the poor guy.  He was having so much fun and trying so hard, only to face utter defeat.  He had potential but he didn’t have teammates that could really help him do anything in a match like this.   “That poor guy.  I hope he doesn’t give up.  He’s got potential.”

“He can jump really high.”  Was all Kamui stated.

The match went on, but it was starting to get a little irritating when every single time the other team made a point, the setter in the middle was yelling at his teammate s  about not being good enough.  They had a massive lead and the game was in the bag, but he was treating it like his team wasn’t giving a shit about anything.  They’d honestly made their point already that this was an easy match, there was no reason to get all robust about it.

When the match finally ended – of course with the little orange-haired boy’s team losing – they shuffled their way off the court.

None of the other matches were as exciting and the crowd was slowly dispersing as the day went on.  After a few hours, Kamui pulled her phone out and stated, “Brother says they’re heading out.  We need to go.”

Miyo nodded her head and hopped to her feet.  The two of them made their way out at the same time that the team with the supposed ‘king’ was walking out.  Most of them were all huddled in one group chatting with each other, but there was one member that lingered further behind the rest.  Miyo jumped when Kamui nudged her and stated, “Hold up just a second.”

Miyo nodded and watched as her little black haired friend trotted away and towards the lingering member of the team.  Her brows furrowed.  Just what was she up to?  She rarely talked to anyone and it took her a moment to realize she had even put her phone away.  Wait a second!  She didn’t even put her phone up when she was talking to her!

Kamui swallowed a bit harder than she meant to and forced her voice to come out a little louder, “E-Excuse me.  Are you Kageyama Tobio?”

The boy had narrow piercing gray -blue  eyes and dark hair that added to his intimidating composure.  The only color about him was his uniform, but the pointed and solid stance made even that look frightening.  He narrowed his eyes at the girl and demanded, “And if I am?”

“I watched your match.”  Kamui stated quickly.  “And I was analyzing what happened and I had a suggestion for you that would help you get better.  I was thinking that if you – “

“What.” Kageyama glared at her even harder than he had been.   “You have a  _ suggestion _  for me?  Just who the hell do you think you are?  I don’t need a tip from some know it all little girl.  I’m not the problem.  Get lost.”  He didn’t even wait for her to say anything in response, just turned on his heel and marched off after his team.

Kamui stood there with a slack jaw while Miyo rushed up to her and asked, “What was that about?  What happened?”

Kamui waved her hand.  “Nothing.  It was my mistake.  I mistook him for someone else.”

“You… don’t make mistakes like that.”  Miyo muttered.

“I did this time.”  Kamui pulled out her phone and quickly said, “We should hurry before brother decides to leave us here.”

The rest of their final year s of  high  school  flew by like car on the freeway.  They were busy and things were happening left and right.  But some things didn’t change.  Kamui still never got off her computer and Miyo was always playing sports or doing something.  The summer s were  the same.  Except twice.  A full two times, Miyo had convinced Kamui to put the technology away for a couple hours and join her swimming.  Of course, since she wasn’t used to sunlight, the girl got a sunburn both times and cursed her existence.

But it was the final week before they entered  college  and late in the night, both of them were in the back yard of Kamui’s house when Miyo asked her something suddenly.  “Hey, Kam-sama.  Can… I ask you something?”

“You just did.”  Kamui stated, typing away on her phone.

“You know that I love you and would do anything for you, right?”

“Mhm.”

“So don’t take this the wrong way… but, we’re starting  college  next week.  I was wondering… if maybe you’d like to change something up?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you like the back of my hand and I know how beautiful you are.  But you never brush your hair or get it out of your face or anything.  I wondering if… this week you’d like to try changing some things.”

“Like… getting a hair cut?”  Kamui questioned.

“For starters, yeah.”  Miyo quickly put her hands up.  “I’m not saying you’re not pretty, but I feel like you’re hiding it.  I don’t want to change you, but I think if you –“

“I would like that.”

Miyo stared in shock at her for a while as Kamui sat up.  To her surprise, she stopped pecking at her phone long enough to admit, “I don’t dress this way because I want to.  I don’t know anything about fashion or being pretty or anything.  But I would like to make myself look as good as I should.  If you could help me… I would love that…”

Miyo’s smile slowly widened before she wrapped her arms around her friend.  “You should have said something earlier!  I promise, for  college , you’ll be turning heads, got it!”

“Will I be able to use my laptop while you cut my hair?”

Miyo groaned and rolled her eyes.  “There’s one part of you that will never change.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was the first day of  college  and already Miyo had spent all morning laughing at Kamui.  Every teacher had scolded her and gotten onto her for having her laptop at instead of joining in class discussions about the syllabi being handed out.  But Miyo couldn’t help acknowledging just how different Kamui looked this year.   Her long black hair still went down to the middle of her back, but it was brushed back and scooped out of her face so that her eyes could be seen.  Her eyes were a bright, unnaturally red hue, but  she  thought they were pretty.   Not only that but she’d had her braces taken off during the summer, which would have left her with a dazzling smile if she ever bothered to smile.  The  college  they were attending now also had a uniform which means she had to trade in the hoodie and sweats for a skirt and form fitting white shirt and black jacket.

During their lunch break, Miyo teased her while she nibbled at her food, her head still tucked into her laptop.  “You’re already pissing off all our teachers, Kamui-sama, can’t you just put it away for a little while?”

“I have too much work to do.”  Kamui answered plainly.  “I don’t have time to put it away.

Miyo sighed and shrugged her shoulders.  “Whatever you say.”

School had just ended, but Kamui wasn’t lucky enough to get to go home yet.   She was going to have to wait on her brother to get done with his stupid after school thing.  But luckily, Miyo volunteered to stick around with her without even being asked.

They were heading to the gym while Miyo rambled about how much homework she already had and it was only the first day of school.  But the entire time they walked, she had a soccer ball that she was kicking around in circles around Kamui.  It would bother her if she looked up from her phone long enough to care.  When they reached the doors, she hiked it up and caught it before pushing the door on open for Kamui.  She murmured a thank you.

The sound of another ball being hit made them both pause.  Someone was already in the gym using it.  At the net, a dark haired boy was just finishing up a jump serve and on the opposite side, his target was a water bottle.  But when the doors opened and he looked over, he paused, looking at the two girls.

Miyo tossed their stuff down by the door and teased, “Practicing all alone in the gym?  That’s boring.  Want someone to practice with?”

The guy glared at them and easily snarled, “No.”

Miyo felt a vein catch in her forehead and she gritted her teeth.  “Well aren’t you a bratty little punk?  Who are you?”

“Kageyama Tobio.”  Kamui answered quickly.  She made her way across the court and headed for the bleachers without looking up from her phone.  “He was the setter from the winning team of that m atch you liked so much in high school .”

“Oh hey yeah.”  Miyo crossed her arms and put her hand to her chi n.  “That was a good match.  N ot score wise, but there was a lot of talent on those two teams.  How interesting.  So you’ re trying out for Karasuno ’s volleyball team?”

Kageyama just glared like the answer was obvious, but his narrowed eyes turned to Kamui as she walked by.  He frowned and looked at Miyo and asked, “What are the two of you doing here?”

“Waiting.  We like watching sports.”  Miyo informed.

“You…do…?”  Kageyama questioned, looking over at  Kamui who was already digging out her laptop and turning it on.  “Could have fooled me.”

Miyo fanned her hand.  “Don’t judge  a book by its cover.  That girl’s name is Kamui and she  sees everything.  She’s like a friggen supercomputer.  She could analyze someone’s moves and tell you their weakness, strength, how to improve and how long it would take in an instant!  She’s a genius I’m telling you.”

“I’m just well-read , Miyo .”  Kamui corrected.

Miyo waved her hands and stated.  “Come on, we’re killing time and you need a warm up for your try-out right?  Let me join you for just a bit and then the court’s all yours.”

Kageyama sighed, reluctantly agreeing, “Fine.”  He tossed the ball up and served it across the net to Miyo who eagerly jumped up, bunting it back over to his side.  He was a bit surprised with how much air it got.  But it was slow and he reacted quickly, sending it back to her side.  Though he wasn’t trying very hard, he realized she was keeping up pretty easily without breaking much of a sweat.  Out of interest, when the ball came back to him one time, he hit it pretty hard.  It surprised her but her arms came up out of instinct, slamming into the ball and sending it flying – straight to the bleachers.

Miyo shouted, “Kamui!  Look out!”

To Miyo’s horror, the girl didn’t even look up from her computer or appear to react at all, but as the ball came towards her face, she casually reached her hand out, catching it  in  a grip so tight the ball didn’t even move.  Her arm wasn’t locked, but in her right hand, the volleyball sat perfectly still.  Her left hand… was still typing at her keys.

Both of them stood dumbfounded at what they were seeing.  Miyo suddenly shrieked, “Holy crap, Kamui, was that luck!?”

“No.” Kamui answered her, setting her laptop down and tossing the ball up.  She hit it overhand and sent it flying back into Miyo who grunted a bit when she caught it.  Damn she hit hard, too!  Kamui sat back down and returned to her computer, explaining, “You lead in too strong with your right arm, Miyo, so you’re struggling to get your receives in the right direction and it ends up weakening them.  Try guiding yourself with your left arm and push up from your waist rather than your forearms.  When you hit with your forearms, you’re spinning the wrong direction and you make it easier for the other team to strike back.”  Kamui started to open her mouth to tell Kageyama what he did wrong, when she remembered how he reacted the last time she tried to help him.  So instead, she returned to her work.

“So… like this…” Miyo asked as she tossed the ball up and then bunted it back to the net.  She noticed that the speed was a little higher and it was actually going directly towards Kageyama this time.  

Kageyama hit it back to her again, but had to admit that hit was stronger than the last one.  It was a little more challenging to receive.  Had that advice really helped that much?

When Miyo sailed it back over once more, the door to the gym opened up and the very next moment, there was a loud scream.

“WHY ARE YOU HERE!?”

Miyo and Kageyama looked over at the door, but the ball came down on Kageyama’s head, causing a noise to leave his mouth as he glared back at the newcomer.  He was surprised to see the little orange-haired boy from the match a year ago was attending this high school.

Miyo’s eyes brightened when she recognized him.  “No way!  You’re here too?  So both of you are going to be on the same team?”

Kageyama glared at the boy and said, “You’re… last years… I don’t know your name.”

The boy cried out and stomped his foot.  “My name is Hinata Shouyou!  You better remember it!  But… you probably wouldn’t remember a guy from the team that lost in the first round, huh?”

Kageyama snapped back, “I definitely remember you.”

Miyo giggled and stated, “Yeah, Hinata-kun, who could forget your jumps?  They were pretty fantastic for such a little guy.”

Hinata looked over at Miyo and suddenly his whole face erupted in red and he froze up.  Then he suddenly cried out, “Th-there’s a girl in here!!”

Miyo pointed her thumb over her shoulder to Kamui and stated, “There’s two actually.”

He cried out again and whined.

But Kageyama was still glaring at Hinata.  He told him sharply, “Your jumps may have been decent but you were such a goddamn clumsy shit bastard!”

Hinata glared right back and started shouting, “Don’t you look down on me!  It’s true that was a huge loss back then, but next time, I won’t lose!”  After a moment though, he twitched as he must have realized something.  “I’d decided to come to Karasuno, so… why are you here?  If we’re on the same team, I can’t beat you, you know!  Right now, there are other high schools who have even more of a championship!  Why didn’t you go to one of those!?”

Kageyama glared and confessed, “As far as the number one championship school in the prefecture, I didn’t get in.”

Miyo and Hinata were both equally shocked and it showed in their expressions.

“You didn’t get in?!”  Hinata yelled.  “Even though you’re ‘the King of the Court’?”

Kageyama’s glare intensified and it even had Miyo stepping back out of fear for her safety.  The bitter boy snarled at the smaller one, “Don’t…call me that…”

Hinata was trembling out of fear and a silence washed over all of them.  But before anymore could be said, voices started to drift in from outside the doors.  

“Like Kitagawa Daiichi’s setter would really come here…”  

Miyo looked over as three guys strolled in, still chatting.

“But that guy’s totally conceited.”

“Again with that… nobody cares that you’re intimidated by him, so why not give it a rest?”

“I am not!”

They all came to a stop, facing Kageyama and greeted, “Yo.”

The one nearest Miyo was making the strangest face while glaring at Kageyama and it made her giggle.  She trotted back out of the way to let the boys get down to business.  But she patted Hinata’s shoulder, “Good luck, Hinata-kun!”

Hinata’s face erupted in bright red and she thought for sure he was going to pass out.  She watched from the sidelines as they began talking.  3 rd  Year Captain, Daichi Sawamura stated, “You’re Kageyama right?  Thanks for coming!”

The second one with pale silver hair and a pretty baby-faced expression stated, “You’re taller than last year.”  That was 3 rd  year Koushi Sugawara.

The nearly shaven head one with the sour expression, 2 nd  year Tanaka Ryunosuke, added, “First impressions are the most important, Suga-san!  Why didn’t ya come at those 1 st  year kids looking dignified with more of a ‘bam’!?!?”

Daichi ordered, “Tanaka, quit it with that face.”

Hinata was watching the guys interact but he couldn’t help being distracted by their jackets and the fact that they said Karasuno High School Volleyball Club.  It warmed his heart as he realized that he was actually in high school now and applying to play volleyball with them.

He kept trying to interrupt them as they talked, but it seemed like he wasn’t getting anywhere.  Finally, he shouted with ‘umph’ and Tanaka turned to face him.  He shrieked, “You’re that number one shortie!”

Daichi looked at the applications in his hands quickly and stated, “Then the other registration form, Hinata, is you?  I’m surprised then.  You both came to Karasuno.”

Hinata was looking confused at them.  They knew him?

Koushi explained, “We were watching your match last year.”

Tanaka added, “You were short and clumsy, but you had some real guts!”

“Thank you!”  Hinata yelled.

“Your jumps were pretty amazing, too.”

“And even better, you haven’t gotten any taller.”

Hinata quickly defended, “Even though I’m small, I can jump!  I’ll show you that I can become Karasuno’s ace!”

Tanaka taunted, “Oi oiii… just joined and you’re already declaring yourself an ace, huh?  You’ve sure got some nerve.”

“That’s fine.”  Koushi interrupted.  “Isn’t it?  It’s better to have a grand goal, right?”

“I’ll do my bes – “ Hinata started.

Kageyama quickly cut him off.  “Shouldn’t you improve your skills before saying something like ‘I’ll become your ace’?  If you’re going to do things sluggishly, you’ll waste another 3 years.”

“What did you say?”  Hinata snapped back.

Daichi frowned, “Why would you say something like that, Kageyama?”

“They’re not friends at all.”  Tanaka chuckled.

“Already fighting?  It’s too early for that.”  Koushi chimed in.

Hinata yelled, “I gave it everything I had!”  His hands clenched and he glared at the ground in frustration.  “But everything until now… don’t you say that as if everything was pointless!”

Daichi sighed and rubbed the back of his head.  He stepped forward to intercept the confrontation.  “Listen, you guys.  You understand that you’re not enemies anymore, right?  Please be more aware of your place as teammates.  Volleyball connects us, but what’s most important is cooperation, y’know.”

As if Daichi had said nothing, Hinata challenged Kageyama, “Let’s have a match!  You and – “

Tanaka screamed, “Daichi-san was in the middle of talking!”

“What match?”  Kageyama demanded.

“Volleyball, duh!”

“How exactly would a 1-on- 1 match work?”

“Passing or something!?”

“There’s no winning or losing in passes is there?”

“Grr…!”

Tanaka kept screaming, “Listen to me dammit!”

At that time, a man walked in with his arms crossed.  He grumbled, “You’re a rather noisy volleyball club.  You could be fighting, could you?”

Tanaka squeaked, “Vice principal!”

“That’s ‘sensei’!”  Koushi corrected.

“Sensei!”  Tanaka repeated.

Daichi quickly tried to mend the situation and explained, “Fighting!?  Of course not!  They’re just guys who really apply themselves.  Isn’t that right?”

Tanaka ordered the boys, “Quite down!  The vice principal is read and eager to take care of your problematic behavior!”

“Serve.”  Hinata ordered Kageyama.  “Shoot it.  I’ ll return every shot since I wasn’t able to return any of your serves last year.”  He paused, as though remembering something dreadful and then continued, “I’ve even gotten help with practice from various people.  Guys from other clubs, the girls volleyball players and even more.  I’m no longer the same as I was last year.”

Kageyama smirked.  “Not the same as last year, huh?  I see.  I’m not the same as I was last year, either.”

Hinata shivered and frowned.  “Did he just smile…?”

Daichi grumbled, “Hey, c’mon guys.  Stop doing whatever you want.”

“So those are the first years?”  The VP asked.

Hinata and Kageyama, still ignoring the captain, headed to the court.  Kageyama readied himself a moment before tossing the ball up.  It lingered in the air for a second as Kageyama lunged up and slammed the palm of his hand into it, sending it flying right past Hinata.

Tanaka scoffed.  “I don’t know… if even I could return that…”

Kageyama shouted, “Just how is that any different from last year?”

“One more.”  Hinata ordered.

“Hey!” Daichi shouted again.

The VP mumbled, “It’s a real problem that they don’t listen to the captain’s instructions.”

Kageyama caught the ball back again, glaring across the net at the determined Hinata.  Just like before, he tossed it up and leapt into the air.  He hit it just like before but this time, Hinata was ready for it and was able to move to the ball.  However it bounced off his forearms and up into his face.

The VP stated, “I’ve told you before that I’m not going to go easy on you, haven’t I?  If this is the sort of thing you’re doing, I’ll give the gymnasium to another club.”  But as he was taunting Daichi, he missed seeing the ball heading right for him.  It slammed into his face, sending his fake hair flying off of his head.  It sailed through the air and landed right on top of Daichi’s head.

Miyo was laughing so hard she was crying.  Without missing a beat, Kamui lifted her phone up, taking several pictures to use for later.

Kageyama rushed back over, apologizing to the VP, but he also questioned, “So that was a wig?”

Hinata scoffed, “Took you long enough to notice!  Everyone at the entrance ceremony figured it out already.”

Tanaka was laughing in between trying to tell them to shut up, but he couldn’t stop himself.

The aura of anger around the VP could be felt for miles.  He turned his back on them but darkly ordered, “Sawamura-kun… may I have a moment of your time…?”

The others all panicked as the two of them walked out of the gym.

Miyo leaned back to Kamui and teased, “Looks like this may be a fast ending for the volleyball club.”

“We will see.” Kamui stated, still typing at her computer.


	3. Chapter 3

Daichi walked back in to a perfectly lined up team.  He calmly explained to them, “Thankfully, he isn’t blaming anyone in particular and doesn’t need an apology as long as we agree that we saw nothing.”  He turned to Kageyama and Hinata.  “But you two – “

Kageyama snapped at Hinata, “It’s because you couldn’t return it properly.  You’re hopeless.  What was all that ‘I’m different from last year’ stuff?  Don’t mess with me.  I’ve lost all hope in you.  You shit.”

Hinata was whimpering.  “Each of those comments was more than enough.”

“Hey.”  Daichi’s voice took on an icy edge and he growled, “I’d like you to listen to me for a bit.”  Tanaka and Koushi, who recognized the tone, both took a step back and away from him.  He continued, “I don’t know your reasons for coming to Karasuno, but naturally, I assume you’ve come here to win.”  When they both eagerly agreed, he added, “Until several years ago, Karasuno was the top competitive team in the prefecture.  We even went on to nationals once.  But now, among the prefectures best 8, we aren’t particularly weak or strong.  Other schools refer to us as the Fallen Champions or the Flightless Crows.”

Tanaka whined, “Seriously, who came up with that?  Such a rude name that sounds like something out of a poem.”

Daichi ignored him and went on.  “I remember it well, the time Karasuno went to ‘Harukou’ for the national meet.  Students of neighboring high schools… who would occasionally pass by each other here and there, competing against strong fighters from across the nation in Tokyo’s huge gymnasium.  It gave me goosebumps.  We’re going to go there again.  We won’t let them call us ‘Flightless Crows’ any longer.”

Killing the mood, Kageyama responded with, “There are plenty of teams whose current dream is to appear at the nationals.”

Daichi wasn’t fazed.  “Yeah, don’t worry, we’re completely serious.  You can’t go lumping us in with other teams because of that.  I’d rather not come under the Vice Principal’s scrutiny.  Y’know, I’m not telling you two to be friends.  Though you were enemies on opposite sides of the net in junior high, now you should be more aware that you are comrades on the same side of the net.  That is what I’m saying.”  As he spoke, Daichi’s voice and expressions were getting darker and darker.  “No matter how excellent of a player you are, no matter how willing you are to put in the effort as a first year, in the end, guys who fight among themselves and cause trouble for the team, are not needed.”  He marched towards them, handing them back their applications and pushed them out the doors of the gym.  “Until you two view each other as teammates, I will absolutely not allow you to participate in club activities!”  And then he slammed the door.

Their shouts of panic and disarray could be heard from the other side of the door easily.

Miyo frowned as she stood up off the bleachers.  “Wow.  I’ve never heard of Daichi-san rejecting anyone before.”

“They’re not rejected.  Only suspended.” Kamui corrected.

“I feel kind of bad for them.”

“They knocked off the vice principal’s wig.”  Kamui retorted.

“Yeah but still.  They’ve both got a lot of potential.  It’d be a major loss for the team.”  Miyo informed, walking over to the door and listening in.  Hinata was slamming against the doors and crying.

“H-How do we recognize each other as teammates!?  Please let us in!  Please let us play volleyball!  Kageyama and I have made up…!”

Tanaka was laughing as Koushi asked, “Are you sure about this Daichi?  They’re valuable club members.  Besides, a team is something that is gradually formed.”

“I know that, but – “

From the other side of the door came:

“Hey you, move over!”

“What are you doing?  I’m talking right now!”

“Captain!  We’re sorry!  Please let us join the club activities!  Captain!!”

“I’m talking first!”

“Shut up!”

Daichi answered finally, “They can’t possibly practice like that.  I don’t intend on rejecting them.  I just hope that they’ll use this time to think.”

Kageyama was trying again through the door, “I’ll work together with Hinata!  Please let me participate in club activities!”

Daichi walked over and opened up the door.  “What are you really thinking?”

Kageyama stiffened up, staring at Daichi in fear.  Almost like he was in a trance, he stated, “If… I have to play with Hinata like he is now, whether it’s receiving, tossing or spiking, I’d rather do it by myself than with him.”

Daichi laughed.  “You actually told me how you feel.  I like that!  But you know… In a game where you can’t let the ball drop, hold the ball, or have the same person touch the ball twice in a row… in this kind of game… how do you plan on playing by yourself?”

With a last smile, Daichi slammed the door once again in their face.

Hinata shouted, “What did you do that for?  Are you an idiot!?”

Kamui got up after a while, shutting her laptop and placing it in her bag.  Miyo asked her, “What’s up?”

“I’m hungry and going to get food.”  Kamui stated.  “They  started  practicing late so it’ll be a late dinner at this rate.”

“Oh, I’ll come, too.”  Miyo stated, hopping up and trotting after her.

Daichi glanced over and saw the two girls heading for the door and stated, “Oh, hey are you girls going to grab food?  Why don’t you pick something up for us, too?”  As he trotted over, he pulled out his wallet and handed cash to Kamui.  “You remember what everyone likes.”

“Yes.” Kamui answered, staring at her phone.

Daichi sighed and added, “And… get something for those boys, too.”

Kamui nodded and they walked out the door.  She and Miyo were greeted by hopeful looks from the two boys on the other side of the door, but the expressions quickly fizzled when they saw who it was.  Where Kageyama returned to frowning, Hinata’s face turned red and he backed up.

Miyo informed, “We’re going to get food, you guys want some?”

Hinata whimpered and shook his head.  “We need to get inside…”

“You’re not getting back in tonight, that’s for sure.  Daichi-san is pretty stubborn about things.  But he’s offered to buy you guys dinner.  So I would accept that offer while you can.”  Miyo giggled, wrapping her arm around Hinata who gasped, his entire upper body turning red now.  “So what do you want?”

Hinata stammered, “Y-Yokisoba noodles…?”

“That doesn’t sound too bad actually.”  Miyo informed with a giggle.  She looked at Kamui and stated, “We can make two stops then, right?”

Kamui shook her head.  “That’d be pointless.  You guys go to the grille and I’ll run up to the store and get the boys’ sandwiches.”

“You sure?”  Miyo asked.  “I don’t want your brother to filet me if you got killed while out by yourself.”  She paused.  “Or… walked into a light pole cause you weren’t paying attention.”

“I can see where I’m going.”  Kamui argued. Still not looking up.

There was a slight hes itation and  Kageyama suddenly said, “I-I’ll go with her.  There’d be no sense in me just sitting here.”

Kamui glanced up at Kageyama from her peripheral for just a split second, but it was long enough that Miyo noticed it.  She smirked a bit and waved her hand.  “Alright.  I’ll drag this guy with me then.”  With a laugh, Miyo pushed Hinata  along  down the road.

For a moment, Kamui and Kageyama stood there in silence.  He scowled before asking, “Shall we go…?”

“You don’t need to force yourself.”  Kamui stated, immediately starting to walk.  “If you’re not interested in coming along, I’d be fine by myself.  It’s not even dark yet.”

“I may as well go just in case.  Like I said, there was no reason to just sit there.”  Kageyama confessed.  They walked for a while with nothing but the rapid typing of keys to fill the silence between them.  They’d got a few blocks before he asked, “I know this is weird but… have I seen you before?  You look familiar…”

“Hm.”  Was all he got at first and his eyebrow twitched.  Could she seriously not put her technology away for a second?  There was an even longer pause before she stated.  “I see.  I do look different.  That is why you don’t recognize me.”

“Huh?”  Kageyama asked.

“I approached you after your first match against Hinata.  I tried to speak to you and you abruptly to ld  me to  _ get lost _ .”  Kamui stated, ending the sentence with ice in her breath.

His eyes widened as he suddenly remembered what she was talking about.  He’d already been irritated that day and had snapped on her without thinking.  His blood ran cold as he realized how clearly she must have remembered it.  “Th-that was you…?”  His face flushed a bit as he looked her up and down.  She didn’t even look like the same person.  Her hair was different, her clothes, her glasses, everything was different.  He swallowed hard and said, “Look I-I’m sorry.  That was just bad timing.”

“It usually is.”

He stared at her in surprise at her words.  “What do you mean?”

Kamui stopped walking when she realized that he had.  Her back was to him as she explained, “I’m used to having my voice ignored.  I’ve made one friend in my life who seemed to acknowledge my opinion.  Otherwise, most people yell at me or tell me how much of an idiot I am.  They don’t understand me and I don’t expect them to.  I’m not like other people.  That’s fine.  I get that.  I’ve stopped sharing my opinion with others because it was always met with ridicule.  By everyone – even my own family.  My brother is the only one who seems concerned about my well-being, though even he believes he knows what’s best for me, better than I.   Therefore I’ve shut out everyone around me.  I choose not to deal with others.  Because every time I try to reach out and help, it ends the same way.”

Kageyama still stood in shock as she started to walk off again.  He quickly trotted to catch back up with her and asked, “Were you bullied?”

“No.  I have a friend.”  Kamui stated.

“I’m not talking about your friend.  Are you bullied by other people?”  Kageyama asked.

“I don’t think so.  I ignore comments that are made towards me.”

“What kind of comments, Kamui?” He demanded, grabbing her upper arm gently to keep her from turning away from him again.

“Things like ‘get lost’.”  Her voice turned bitter.

His eyes widened and then he looked away shamefully.  She pushed his hand off and started walking on again.  He walked behind her and stated, “Nothing will make up for saying something horrible to you.  But, I do truly regret it.  You didn’t deserve it.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“What?  Why not?”

“Because you apologize when someone’s feelings are hurt.  No one’s feelings were hurt.  I don’t have them.”

“What do you mean you don’t have feelings?”

“I don’t.  I stopped letting myself have them.  They were nothing but trouble.  Now I focus on my studies and that is all.”

Kageyama wasn’t sure what else to say at this point.  He’d been blind before but now he could see just  how  beautiful this woman was.  But she’d hidden herself away in a black box, from herself and from others.  When they reached the store, she ordered the food for the rest of the team before they got what they wanted for themselves.  The entire way back, he couldn’t help but wonder what he could do to help this woman out of her shell.  She and her friend were ver y close, so maybe the other one  would have an idea.  Maybe she’d also be able to help explain things more.

“These ones are the best.”  Hinata stated suddenly, pointing his finger at the fried noodles on the far right of the display.  

Miyo rolled her eyes and shook her head.  “No way.  Those are the worst.  These are the best.”  She tapped her finger on the glass.

“What are they?”

“They’re herbed in a different way.  I love them.”  She asked the guy on the other side of a sample and handed it to Hinata.  He nearly let out a scream of excitement at how good they were.  This made Miyo laugh and they placed two orders for them.

On their way back, Miko couldn’t help but ask, “So do you know how you and Kageyama are going to get back in the gym?”

Hinata suddenly pouted.  “I have no idea.”

Miyo squeaked and flailed her hands.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!  I was just curious.  The two of you were looking so determined but you guys clearly dislike each other so much.”

“That’s cause that guys a creep!”  Hinata shouted, and it made Miyo laugh again.  She couldn’t help but crack up at everything this guy said and did.  He was so honest and pure hearted, definitely not like most of the guys she knew.  A guy like him felt trustworthy and kind.  

She added to his slam.  “And cocky.”

“I know!”  Hinata shouted loudly.

Miyo fanned her hand.  “But you’ll have to put that behind you in order to work with him as teammate, you know?”

Hinata sighed.   “I wanted to beat him!  But I can’t if we’re on the same team!”

Miyo frowned a bit.  Although he was an honest kid, he was stubborn and only saw things the way he wanted to.  He would have to learn to put the whole beating him thing out of his head now.  That or he was going to have to give up volleyball or go to another school.  The thought of him having to leave this school though left a bad taste in Miyo’s mouth.  She kind of liked having him here and creating a ruckus.  It was fun.  She hate to see that blown out the window.

“You’ll figure things out.”

Even after delivering food, Daichi wouldn’t let the boys in to eat with the others.  Out of pity, Miyo asked Kamui if they could sit outside with the boys.  Kamui didn’t care either way.

As she ate, she was still typing away with one hand and eating her sandwich with the other.  Hinata, between mouthfuls of food asked, “So why were you guys waiting in the gym?”

“Well we’re waiting to go home, mostly, but also, we’ve seriously considering about trying out for the position of team manager.”

Hinata gaped, “What, really?”

Miyo nodded.  “I’ve played in nearly every womens sport so I know a lot about different coaching styles and what kind of exercises help what and all of that.  We’ve submitted a proposal to Daichi and I think we’ve pretty much got him convinced.”

“That’s so cool!”  Hinata shouted.  “So you’d be coming to all our games and practices and everything?!”

“Yep!”  Miyo laughed.  “And I won’t go easy on you, either.”

He shook his head quickly in agreement.  “Please don’t!  I wanna get super good!”

Kageyama was looking at Kamui and he stated, “And so then, Kamui will be analyzing where we need to work on so that you know what training to give us?”

Miyo nodded  but Kamui brushed a strand of obsidian hair back and stated, “I’ll help when I can.  I have my own club I attend.  I cannot spend all my time attending practices and games.”

Hinata whined and added, “But in order to even get to go to games, we’ve got to get Daichi to let us back on the team.”

Kageyama looked over at the window, able to hear the laughter of the rest of the team on the other side.  Now that he was done eating, he got back up.  “I need to get in there.”

“But you can’t!”  Hinata whined.

“Yes I can.”  He retorted, marching to the door.  “I have the potential to make them better.  That by itself is enough of a reason to let me join their club.”

“But what are you going to do about it?” Hinata asked.

Miyo frowned and scoffed.  “He really is an egocentric king.”

Kageyama glared at Miyo but quickly told Hinata, “Let’s challenge them to a 2-on-2 match on the condition that if we win, they’ll let us join.   I’d hate to be on the same team as you in a game, but at least in this aspect we think alike.  We both want to get this over with quickly.”

“With the senpais as our opponents?” Hinata questioned.  “What happens if we lose?”

“We won’t.  Because I’m here.”  

“You will lose.”

They all turned sharply to Kamui who didn’t even look up from her laptop.  

Losing his temper, Kageyama demanded, “What was that!?”

“It doesn’t matter how strong you are.  If you and he are teamed up together and you refuse to acknowledge him as a teammate, you will lose.”

Kageyama gritted his teeth and shouted, “What the hell do you know?!”

Kamui sighed.  “Those words again?”

Kageyama’s eyes widened a bit and he looked away.

Ignoring it and continuing, Kamui explained, “You alone cannot cover a court, you alone cannot beat an entire team.  You alone, will fall alone.  You were given the title of king because you refuse to admit anyone is on your level.  You look down on everyone else.  You oppress people.”  She paused and looked up from her computer.  “Once you are alone on the court, the game is over.  That is true of any team sport.  You’re no good alone.”

He fanned his hand out and shouted, “Says the girl who won’t even put down her damn computer!  You act like you know anything about playing a real game!  You probably don’t even know the basics about it but you think you can just lecture me!  I don’t care about your opinion at – “

“I don’t give my opinions.”  Kamui informed.  “I give fact.”

“You… arrogant little – “  Kageyama stopped suddenly when Miyo was standing in front of him.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and he could feel a radiation of what he could only describe as pure evil.  She looked up, her blue eyes had hardened into sheer ice and where she usually wore a smile was now a hard-pressed line.  Lowly she spoke, “Finish that sentence.   **_ I dare you _ ** .”

Kageyama withdrew from her and he tried to hide the sheer fear that he felt from such a menacing woman.  She didn’t go after him, but instead she straightened up.  Rolling her shoulder and popping her neck, she stated, “We may not like the same things… at all, but Kamui is my best friend.  We’ve been close for years.  I will  _ not _  tolerate anyone bullying her again, got it?”

Kageyama’s eyes widened.  “I wasn’t – “

“Bullies never recognize what they’re doing as bullying.”  Miyo cracked her knuckles and growled, “But I will make you recognize it.  I’m not afraid to break you until you’ll never play – “

“Miyo, stop threatening him.”  Kamui ordered, her gaze now back on her computer like nothing had happened.  “You know it doesn’t bother me.  There’s no reason to get yourself in trouble fighting him.”

Miyo sighed, her gaze softening as she stated, “If you’re sure.  You’d tell me if you were upset, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course.”  Kamui retorted.  “But that won’t happen.”

Hinata finally let out a breath of air when the tension seemed to clear.  He returned to the window and looked in.  After a while, he started rambling, “In middle school… the only game I ever played was the one with you.  Up until then we didn’t have enough people, so we couldn’t enter the meet.  Because I didn’t have a place to practice, evne in the gym and halls, I was always practicing in the corner.  That’s why, in my first game, in that huge gym, I felt like I had just become a star!   I wanted to be in that court forever, but the time I was in that court…was only 30 minutes…”

“Only the strong can remain in the court.”  Kageyama told him.  He paused and then asked, “So what should we do?  If we don’t go together, they probably won’t even let us in.”

“I became stronger.”  Hinata replied.  “With the desire to win, I came to Karasuno.  I wanted to surpass you!  But… If I don’t enter the club, if I don’t practice, nothing will happen!  If I want to play volleyball, even if it’s something I really don’t want to do, I’ll do it!  No matter what kind of guy you are!  I’ll do my best just to not see you!”

Kageyama shouted back, “That’s my line, you asshole!”

It was well into the evening before the practice started wrapping up.  They could hear the sounds of cleaning and picking things up from even the outside.  Miyo was laughing as the boys put together a plan to convince the captain that they were working together now.  Kamui, of course, just tended to her computer.

After a long while, they both set themselves up at the stairs in front of the door and, in unison, shouted, “Captain!!”

The doors opened to the other players and asked, “What?”

Once more, at the same time, they shouted, “Please have a match with us!  Us versus you senpais!”

Tanaka started laughing, especially when the two boys counted down before shouting, “We’ll prove we can work together by playing at teammates!”

Koushi shook his head.  “Even though we heard you counting so you could say it together…”

Daichi walked up and crossed his arms.  “What if you lose?”

Kageyama quickly responded with, “We’ll take any punishment you give us!”

Daichi tapped his fingers.  “Really… well, that’s fine with me.  Other than you guys, there are still other 1 st  years that are going to join us.  Why don’t you guys play 3 vs. 3 with them?  It’s a game we usually play so that the 1 st  years that enter each year can get a feel for the club.”

“But, it’s 3v3, right?  We still need one more person.”  Hinata stated.

“Tanaka, why don’t you join them on their team?”  Daichi suggested.

Tanaka gasped, “Me!?  But I don’t want to do anything with them!”

Daichi commented, “Even though I thought someone like you would be good at taking control of problem children…”

Suddenly Tanaka’s demeanor changed and he started patting Hinata on the back.  “Let’s do this!  Aren’t you happy!”

Daichi continued, “Anyhow, in the case that you guys lose, even though it’s not for long, as long as we 3 rd  years are around, Kageyama won’t be allowed to be the setter.  Of course, I’ll make sure our advisor approves.”

Kageyama’s face turned icy with horror.  On the other hand, Hinata was shocked and asked, “Is that it?”

“It not just a simple punishment.”  Daichi explained.  “Someone who loses a match because they only relied on their own abilities to win… a self-centered person like that… cannot lead a team to victory.”  Kageyama continued to glare at Daichi who then asked, “What’s wrong?  It’s not like I’m refusing your entrance to the club.  Any other position would also be okay for you, right?”

Kageyama screamed, “I’m a setter!!”

Daichi told him, “As long as you win, isn’t it okay?  You came here thinking that you could win on your own, right?  The game will be on Saturday morning.”  He turned and started heading back inside when he stopped and said, “Oh, why don’t you girls head on home?  I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.  Your application for the position is approved.  Your history more than speaks for itself, Miyoko.  We’ll be happy to have the two of you on the team!”

Miyo waved.  “Thanks!”  She and Kamui started to head off when Hinata trotted quickly after them.

The cute little orange haired boy asked, “Hey can I walk home with you guys?”

“Sure, if we’re in the same direction.”   Miyo giggled.  She noticed that Kageyama followed as well, but he didn’t say anything.

After a while, Hinata was aware of him just glaring straight ahead and he asked, “Are you getting angry because you’re the only one getting punished?”

“He’s mad cause he can’t have his way.”  Miyo stated.

“But it’s just like the captain said, isn’t it?  Even if you’re not the setter, you’ll still be able to become a regular really fast, right?  But aren’t spikers cooler than setters?”  

Hinata started to make a motion of spiking the ball, but it did nothing but infuriate Kageyama more.  He spun around and grabbed Hinata’s collar and screamed at him, “Why you!!  A setter is like a team leader!  In a match, it’s the setter that handles the most balls, didn’t you know that!?  Isn’t the leader the coolest!?  The spikes you love so much can’t be done without the setter’s toss!”

Hinata whimpered in his grip, “Maybe it’s because it’s too complex, but setters just seem too boring to me…”

Miyo looked at Kamui as they stopped to watch the show.  “They’ll never stop.”

Kamui shook her head.  “Nope.”

Kageyama asked, “Have you ever seen a major game live before?”

“No…” Hinata muttered.

“How about on TV?”

“I have!”

“On TV, you see the game being played from the sides.  It’s hard to understand from that angle, but when you to watch a game live, you can see it from the back.  Yes, directly.  I bet you have no idea how fast the setter’s toss is!  The ball goes from one end of the court to the other!  Swoosh!”  Kageyama paused to make the motions as he spoke.  “It passes the opponents block in a second!  You might think, ‘hey can that really be hit’?  If a spiker jumps in front of the pass, he hits it!  Wham!  It’s true that spikers are cool, but to trick the opponents and open up a path from the wall in front of the spiker… the only position that difficult yet cool and interesting is the setter’s!”

“Oh I see…” Hinata stated.  “I understand now.”

“But even so…”  He gritted his teeth.

Hinata asked, “But it’s okay as long as we win, right?  You were so confident even when going up against the senpais weren’t you?”

With a heavy breath, he snarled, “I’ll deal with your shitty pass until Saturday. ”

“Well… we can’t use the gym though…”  Hinata whimpered.

“Yes you can.”  Miyo stated suddenly.  “You just can’t participate in the club activities.  You can use the gym any other time.”

“Like when?” Hinata asked.

“Morning practice begins at 7am.”  Kamui told them.  “You can practice as long as you want before then.”

Kageyama looked at Hinata and stated.  “We’ll meet at the gym at 5am, then.”

He nodded.

Miyo laughed and waved her hand.  “Alright you guys, well I live down this way, so you guys have fun.”

Hinata pointed at the street she was heading down.  “You live this way, Miyo-chan?  I do too…”

“Sweet!”  Miyo giggled.  “We’ve got a little more time together then.”

The two of them headed that way as Kamui turned and started walking again.  Kageyama stayed in pace with her, his hands in his pockets.  His face flushed and he mumbled, “Listen… I… I mean, my apology earlier… It meant nothing, I see that.  I didn’t realize I…that I – “

“You can stop forcing yourself.  I told you.  Nothing bothers me.” Kamui informed.  “I’ve learned to deal with things my own way and it works for me.  You didn’t hurt my feelings, I told you this.”

He stated a little more strongly.  “You can’t seriously mean that!  That you don’t feel anything and you’re fine with that!?  Nothing makes you mad or sad or anything?”

“No.  It’s fine.” Kamui tried telling him.  “I see no reason to change.”

“If you can’t feel any of those things, then that means you also can’t be happy?”

There was a long pause before she answered.  “That’s right.  And that’s fine, too.”

“No it’s not!” Kageyama shouted at her.  “You’re honestly perfectly okay with never being happy in your life?  That’s okay to you?”

“It means I won’t get hurt.” Kamui stated.  “I don’t want to be hurt.  That’s all that matters to me.  By not allowing myself to feel anything, then I don’t hurt.  It’s as simple as that.  If the consequences are that I will never be happy then I’m just fine paying that price.”

“I’m not!”

Kamui turned and lowered her phone to look at him.  Her brow almost twitched down into a glare but she stopped it.  She told him, “What you think about my situation doesn’t matter.  It’s none of your business.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and told her, “Look…I’m probably the shittiest guy to ever say this… but… I can’t stand the thought of you being okay just being empty.  If you’re empty then that means you can’t enjoy anything you’re doing.  I… don’t want you to be like that.  I might get irritated and frustrated and I get hurt, but there are things worth getting hurt for.  Losing games sucks and its terrible, but it’s worth the feeling that comes from winning them.  Life is a balance.  You can ’t  just simply sit in the middle and pretend the edges don’t exist.”

“Yes I can!”  Kamui shouted at him and then her eyes widened.  There was a strange feeling that ran through her at the moment that had caused her voice to raise.  It was a hot tickle that went through the back of her throat and into her chest.  It made her body feel tight and tense and her head a little bit light.  Was it… anger?   She quickly calmed herself and stated, “I want to be like this.  There is nothing worth hurting over.”

“I’ll prove you wrong.” Kageyama told her suddenly.  “I’ll prove to you that there are something’s worth it.  That there is a happiness that is worth being vulnerable for.  I’ve gone through my own hardships.  I know what it was like.  And I know I’m a shitty person, but I’m getting better.  I’m… figuring things out.”

Kamui slowly reached up and lifted his hands off her shoulders by the wrists.  She whispered, “You have more things to worry about than me, right now.”

“I know… but, I – “

“Hurry and get home and get some rest.  You have a long day tomorrow.”  She turned and headed down another street, adjacent to the one he was heading down.


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata let out a heavy sigh.  “This isn’t surprising… the doors are locked.”

Kageyama cursed.  “Should have known…”  He started looking around.  “I wonder if there’s a window we can enter through.”

Hinata gasped, “That’s a bad idea.”

They looked over when they heard someone walking up.

Dressed in her school uniform already, Kamui went straight to the door, placing a key in the lock and opening the door for them.  She explained, “I have to be careful.  Daichi thinks I just want them because of being the team manager now.”

“When did you… get them?” Kageyama asked.

“Hm?”

“Thank you so much!”  Hinata quickly bowed several times.  “We owe you very much.”

Kamui shrugged her shoulders and stated, “Make sure you win your match.”  She started to head back towards the school when Kageyama caught her wrist.

He asked her, “Where are you going?”

“To the library to study.”  Kamui told him.  “Make sure you clean things up by seven when they arrive for practice.   Tanaka may arrive a little early to help you.  He wasn’t sure.”

“Why are you helping us?” Kageyama demanded.

“Because…” Kamui stated honestly.  “I know what it’s like to be told you can’t do what you want to do.”  She pulled her arm away and headed on towards the school.

Classes were a struggle to get through due to how early they’d all been up and they were all but falling asleep at their desks.  Between one of the classes, though, Kageyama rounded a corner and happened to see Kamui pulling her books out of her locker and putting some back in.   Miyo was right beside her, laughing and telling jokes.  And, as expected, Kamui didn’t even crack a smile in return.  But Miyo turned and headed off towards her class while Kamui headed the other direction.

Hesitantly, he followed.  His class was in the same direction, so he told himself that in order to convince himself he wasn’t stalking.  She hadn’t gone too far before someone walking by her reached in front of her and knocked her phone out of her hand and shouted, “Pay attention to where you’re going, technogeek!  Isn’t it hard to see without your sports nut guiding you like a dog?”

Kageyama stopped dead in his tracks.  Without saying a word back, Kamui knelt down and picked her phone back up.  She dusted it off and went back to typing.  The same guy grabbed her collar and turned her around, “Are you listening to me!?  Why don’t you look up, stupid four-eyes?”

She didn’t say anything.  She just looked down at her phone.  He smacked it out of her hands again, and then this time he ripped her bag off her shoulder and threw it.  Kageyama’s eyes widened.  Her laptop was in that bag.

The guy shoved her up against the lockers as the crowd parted.  He demanded, “Do you even speak English?  Or do I need to start taking in computer code?  Hello?  Beep-boo-beep?  Do you get that?  Fucking nerd?”

“Binary.”

“What was that!?”  He shouted in her face.

Kamui answered him again, “Machine-language.  It’s called binary.  You can’t speak it either.  It’s just switches that you turn on and off.  It’s not comprehendible by the human brain.  Perhaps you’d have better luck talking to a computer.”

“Oh you think you’re a smart bitch do you?  Well how about I show you – “  He had started to turn his hand into a fist when a body suddenly came between him and Kamui.

Kamui looked up in shock as Kageyama stood casually before her.  He glared down the guy that was harassing her and coldly ordered, “I think that’s enough.  You’ve already made a mockery of your own intelligence.  The bell is about to ring.  Time to move on.”

The guy scoffed.  “Jeez.  The wannabe-a-sport player is her body guard.”

The hallway slowly cleared out and Kageyama turned around to face Kamui and asked, “Are you alright?”

Kamui reached down and picked up her phone, frowning when she saw the screen was cracked on it now.  She asked him, “Why did you do that?”

Kageyama’s brow twitched.  That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.  He told her sharply, “He was going to hit you, Kamui!”

“Then let him.”  Kamui stated.  “People like that feel better after belittling someone.  It’s the food chain.”

“Y-You…”  Kageyama’s shoulders tensed.  “You’re the one that said you don’t want to be hurt!”

“Physical hurt is fine.  In fact, his punch probably wouldn’t have hurt that bad.  I’m stronger than I look.”  Kamui stated.  She paused for a long moment before whispering, “But you…  _ protected _  me.”

He was getting more angry by the moment but he paused at her statement and nodded his head.  “Yes.  I did.”

“Why?”

“I told you, he was going to hit you.”

“No, why do you care if he hit me?  What does it matter to you?”

“It was unprovoked and unfair.  I couldn’t stand to see it.”

She slowly reached her hand out and placed it on his upper arm.  Her touch was fragile at first and caused his skin to tingle in the most foreign way.  But then her grip increased suddenly, though it was still weak.  She whispered inaudibly, “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”  His eyes were a bit wide.  “But it wasn’t a big deal…”

“It is… to me.”  Her hand slowly slipped down his arm until they were no longer touching and she casually stepped away.  “I’m late for class.  So are you.  You should – “

“No, wait.” Kageyama ordered.  “Don’t blow this off like this is nothing.  How often does this happen to you?”

Kamui thought of lying at first.  Of pretending this was the first time.  She stated, “They wait for Miyo to leave.  They know that she’s reckless and will defend me.  Probably twice a day.  Each time I meet them in the hall really.”

Kageyama cursed and looked away.  “Why don’t you tell anyone?”

“Because it’s no ones business but my own!”  She told him sharply.  “I choose what battles I fight and bullies aren’t one of them.  I jus t have to get through college  and then it’ll be done.”

“How long… has this been going on?”

“Since my last year of elementary school.  When I first started working with computers.”  Kamui told him.  “Now… I’m going to class.”

Kageyama watched her leave.  More and more puzzled by her each moment.   She had picked up her bag, but he  saw her worried look as she opened it  and looked inside to check on her laptop while quickly walking away .

The rest of the day went very similar.  Each time someone tried to mess with Kamui, Kageyama stepped out and they backed off.  He wasn’t sure how long this was going to work though.  He was struggling to leave class with enough time to get to hers and then still get to his own.   At first, he wasn’t  sure if she was aware of what  he was doing, but the last couple of classes, she looked in his direction and he knew that she was, in fact, aware of his intentions.

Whether she was grateful or not, he wasn’t sure.

Kamui left her last class and as she expected, Kageyama was standing by a locker, waiting for her.  This time, though, she didn’t pretend to not notice him.  She stopped and looked up from her phone and asked, “Are you going to follow me home, too?”

Kageyama twitched and quickly said, “N-No no!  I wasn’t!  I just… wanted to make sure you were okay.  I mean… unless you want me to walk you home.”

Kamui’s brows pinched together behind her glasses in the cutest way.  It caused one single wrinkle between her brows.  She stated, “You seem awfully concerned about me, Kageyama-kun.”

He gaped and stated, “I watched someone try to punch you.  Don’t you think I have a reason to be?”

“I don’t know.  I’ve never been concerned.”  Kamui told him.

His brow twitched at this and he followed her, asking, “So you’ve never been lonely, or bored, or…disappointed?  Frustrated?  Anything?”

“Strong emotions I do not feel.  Things like confusion or surprise do still afflict me though.”  Kamui explained, heading towards the library.  “Surprise is slim, however, because since I’m so well read, I can usually analyze a situation and predict what will happen.  Not precisely but I can assume scenarios in my head and if one of them is accurate, then it doesn’t surprise me.”

“So when none of your scenarios are accurate, that’s when you’re surprised?”  He questioned.

“Against my own preferences, yes.”  Kamui explained.

“Have I surprised you?”  He asked curiously.

Kamui reached the library and began walking along one of the shelves as she answered, “Yes.  Once.”

“When?”

“In the hall.  I hadn’t expected anyone to come help me.  The only help scenario I’d played out was the possibility of Miyo forgetting something and returning.  Not you.”

“Then the surprise made you feel something, right?”

“Yes.”

“What was that?”

Kamui opened one of the books she pulled off the shelf.  “Irritation.”

“Why?”

“All surprises make me feel irritated.  I didn’t expect them.  I was inaccurate.  I was missing something and it caught me off guard.  A small feeling leads to a flood of larger ones that I don’t wish to feel.  And it means I must learn more.”

Kageyama pulled the book out of her hands and read the cover.  “Psychology?  How is that going to help?”

“I’m trying to figure out what you’re thinking.”  She stated quickly.

“Why?  Because I helped you?  I told you it was because you were attacked – “

“Then why did no one else!?”

He stopped dead in his tracks when she shouted at him.  She was looking up from her book and glaring at him.  Very rarely did he get such direct eye contact from her.  Normally, he’d be bothered by someone getting mad at him, but the fact she was getting mad meant she was feeling  _ something _ .  It was improvement.

Realizing she had shouted in a quiet library, Kamui slammed her book closed and explained, “You were thinking something else.  If you defended me simply because I was attacked then why does no one else come to my aid?  There were twenty other people just standing around and watching while laughing under their breaths but you were the only one that helped.  You thought something  _ else _ .  You won’t tell me.  So I have to figure it out and its making me mad.”

“You being mad is better than being empty.”

“No it’s not!”  She shouted.

“Caring is an emotion, Kamui.”

Her eyes widened suddenly.

He explained, “You’re trying to solve the mystery not because you’re curious but because you care what I’m thinking.  You’re glad I helped you.  No matter what you admit.”

She gritted her teeth.  “Would you stop…?”

“Stop what?”

“Stop making me feel things!  I’ve shut them out all these years, I don’t want to feel them anymore!  Stop trying to dig them back up!  I was just fine until now!”

“You were  _ fine _ !  That’s the problem.  All you say is fine!  You were never  _ happy _  or  _ pleased _ .  You were just fine!  At the rate you’re going you will only ever be  _ fine _ .  I don’t want that.  I want you to be happy!”

She stared at him in shock.  Their commotion had caused a lot of turned heads and they were already beginning to whisper to each other.  She gripped the book tightly in her arms and brought it to her chest.  She tipped her head down and started crying, the tears falling onto the cover of the book.  “You were so mean to me… why do you care now?”

Kageyama’s eyes widened when she leaned forward into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her close.  He carefully asked, “Did it make you sad when I said those terrible things?”

“Yes…”

“Why?”  He asked her, not trying to be mean, but wanting her to admit the truth.

“Because…I… I still care what other people think…  Because I still feel… I’ve been trying to hide it, but that’s all I’ve done.  I just hide it.  I’m good at faking and lying.  But I… I still feel…”

He touched his hand to the top of her head and brushed it down through her obsidian locks as he whispered, “Then now, will you accept my apology?  I never meant to upset you.  I’ve spent my whole life dedicated to this game and when things go wrong, I get upset and say the wrong things.  I can’t… promise that I won’t say terrible things again, but I will try to do better.   Will you accept that promise from me?”

She nodded her head slowly, her tears dripping onto his shirt.  He softly told her, “Now that you’re being honest, I will, too.  The reason I care so much now is because of how guilty I feel for being so hurtful towards you.  I didn’t even know you but I was so full of myself.  I was wrong.  I want to make it up to you now.”

Kamui pushed off his chest and rubbed her eyes.  “You could make it up to me a lot faster, y’know?”

“How’s that?” Kageyama asked.

“Win that match on Saturday and make it back on the volleyball team.”  She hesitantly added.  “I… enjoy… watching you play.  You’re very good.”

His cheeks reddened a bit and he looked away.  “Jeez.  Now I feel worse about what I said.  I promise you that I’ll do my best to keep playing, so that you can keep watching.  On one condition.”

Her brows arched and she asked, “What’s that?”

“Do what makes you happy, no matter what?  Okay?”

Kamui’s eyes widened at his words and she took a small step back.  His words shocked her to no end and even left her feeling a bit uneasy.  She nodded her head slowly.  “I will… try my best.”

He took the book out of her hand and placed it back on the shelf.  He told her, “You don’t need this anymore.  If you want t o know what I’m thinking, ask  me, got it?”

Miyo watched as the ball sailed way over her head, over the fence and out into the street.  She sighed and put her hands on her hips.  “I’m over here, Hinata-kun!”  She laughed as she trotted to get the ball.

He was whimpering again.  “I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to make you have to chase after it!”

“It’s fine!  I like running!”  Miyo shouted with a laugh.  She grabbed the ball and ran back, telling him, “You’re doing better.  At least you’re bouncing it back, you just don’t have any control over it.  That’ll come with time.”

“By Saturday?”  He questioned.

“Eh… probably not by then.”  She admitted reluctantly, spinning the ball around her hand.  “But we’ll train lots until then, okay?  I have all the free time in the world.”

“Really!  You’re super awesome, Miyo-chan!”

Miyo rubbed the back of her head and laughed a bit.  She started tossing the ball back to him over and over again.  She couldn’t help but enjoy this time with him.  She adored Kamui but the girl was such a concrete wall; nothing ever got through to her.  They had what she would consider fun, but she wasn’t someone she could laugh and have a good time with.   This boy was into the same things she was and he was so fun and innocent.  It reminded her of the old days with her family before her parents passed away.

“So you play lots of other sports, too right?”  Hinata asked.

Miyo nodded.  “Lots, yes.”

“Which is your favorite?”

“Basketball of course.”  She laughed.  She started to say something else when she saw Kamui heading out to the gate of the school.  “Hey give me just a sec to chat with Kamui real fast.”

Hinata nodded and watched her take off to her friend.  Miyo slowed to a stop and looked at Kamui before her eyes narrowed.  “You’re heading home early.”

“Yeah.  Hungry.”

Miyo frowned more.  “I need to talk to you.”

“You heard?”

“I heard a couple different things.  How long haven’t you been telling me about this, Kam?  No one ever talked about it because you didn’t fight back.  But now everyone’s talking about how you’ve got a body guard and it’s not me.  If you would have told me, I wouldn’t – “

“I know.”  Kamui stated.  “It was fine though.”

Miyo sighed heavily and shook her head.  “Your fine and my fine are different fines.  But now.  What’s this I heard about that Kageyama bastard making you cry in the library earlier?”

Kamui’s eyes widened.  Shock.  It settled like a rock in her stomach.  It was followed by a flood of emotions and she couldn’t find the gate to shut them out.  Before she could even get a hold of the current, she shouted, “They don’t know anything!  Don’t believe every rumor you hear!”

“Is it wrong?”

“Yes!” Kamui tried to stop shouting at her friend but her voice quivered.

“I’m not used to you being mad at me, Kam.  It’s been a long time.”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Then you wouldn’t be yelling.”

“I just want to go home.”

“Kamui, listen to me.  I just want – “

“I’m going!”  She pushed past her friend who stood with a shocked expression.  Miyo felt sick to her stomach.  It had been so very long since she’d seen her best friend shaken and rattled up like that.

Hinata trotted up to Miyo and asked, “What happened?”

“I’m not really sure.  She’s never yelled at me like  _ that _  before.”  Miyo quickly typed a message to her friend that she didn’t want  to leave things like this and  to call her.

Hinata asked, “She’s usually really quiet.”

“She’s not.”  Miyo put her hands on her hips, not wanting to go into her personal details.  “ She seems like she is, but she just acts like it.   There’s actually a lot more going on with her than what anyone ever realizes…”

“Since she’s such a computer nerd, how did you two end up becoming such good friends?”

Miyo laughed at his question and rubbed her shoulder as she stated, “We…happened to meet at the police station when we were younger.  I think it was… the first year of middle school.  I… had just lost my family… and she was trying to report that someone had broken her laptop.  I remember walking in on the police laughing at her and calling her a cute little kid.  I told them to leave her alone and like a small child, she grabbed my sleeve.  I felt like my heart tore in two.  Shortly after her brother arrived and grabbed and took her home but we met at school the next day.  She slowly descended into someone who refused to feel anything.  I think its her way of trying to protect herself.  I tried to keep her from doing it and I try to bring her back every day, but I just can’t get through.  That’s why I try to smile as much as I can.  Because to me, she’s the little sister I lost.  Only I can protect her.  But it appears… that I can’t.  I couldn’t save her from those bastards picking on her all these years when I thought I was… She never told me anything!  She never told me she was hurting!  She never told me that they ever came near her!”  Miyo felt tears dripping down her cheeks now.  “She won’t open up to me…I feel like I’ve failed my family again…”

Hinata stepped closer to her and asked, “Again?”

Miyo choked on her tears and whispered, “They all passed away in a car wreck.  They were taking me to the hospital for a fever.  I started throwing up and dad leaned back to lift my head up so I didn’t choke.  I saw mom look back at me and then… then I woke up in the hospital and they were all gone.  My mother, father, and my sister.”

Miyo gasped when she was blind-sided by a tight embrace.  Hinata held her against his body and quickly, delicately told her, “It’s not your fault!  You can’t see it like that!  They were all scared for you!  Their passing was an accident but they were all happy because… they were trying to get you to a hospital so you’d live.  And you did.  You’re here, and they did what they set out to do.  You don’t have to live your life making up for it.  All you have to do is simply live and be happy for them…”

Miyo slowly wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder.  “Thank you, Hinata.  Thank you so much…”

As if he was just realizing what he was doing, Hinata stiffened and his entire face erupted in red as he stammered, “Y-y-You’re welcome…!”

Miyo looked down quickly when she got a text message.  It was from Kamui.  Her eyes widened when she read it and Hinata asked her what it said.  Miyo laughed softly and read aloud, “ I’m not going to call you because there’s nothing to fix.  How could I ever be mad at you?  Just trust me.  I’m fine.  And stop acting like I’m dying every time I actually get upset.”

Hinata frowned, not sure if she was laughing for real or not.  But then Miyo stated, “She knows me so well.  It’s scary.”

“See.  You guys are like sisters after all.”  Hinata stated with a big goofy grinned.  It pulled a mirror grin right out of Miyo.


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata had been running towards the ball but he suddenly took a face plant.   The sound of his face skidding across the floor could be heard distinctly across the gym and it made Miyo wince.  She clapped her hands and called, “Shake it off, Hinata!  Shake it off!”

“I don’t think there’s any shaking it off.”  Kamui stated, typing away on her laptop.  “What do you want him to shake off?  His face?”

Miyo glared at Kamui for several minutes before she hissed.  “Why is it suddenly you’re back to being a smart ass like you were in elementary school?”

Kamui shrugged her shoulders.  “Been a good week.”

Miyo eyed her suspiciously, but looked back at the boys that were on the court, now arguing with each other again.  Kageyama shouted at Hinata, “Hey!  Don’t just stop!  Where did your serve-receiving reflexes from yesterday go!?  Concentrate!”

Hinata groaned as he got to his feet and protested, “If all we do is pass… we’ll run out of time!  I also want to practice jumping and spiking!”

“Go jump somewhere else!”  Kageyama screamed back.

An irritated Tanaka walked up to them with his arms crossed.  “Let me tell you something.  Daichi is usually kind, but he gets scary when he’s mad.  Really scary.”

They both responded with, “We know that.”

Tanaka continued, “If he finds out about our morning practice, it would be bad.  For me as well.  It’s not like I’m scared or anything, not at all, definitely not.”  He paused and perched his hands on his hips.  “Well, what I’m trying to say is these morning sessions will be our little secret, as well as the nighttime session.”

“Hey are you guys practicing now?”

They all looked up in panic when Koushi trotted in through the door.  Tanaka was trying to deep breathe.  “S-Suga-san!?  Why are you here?”

“Because you were obviously acting weird yesterday.  So I knew you were keeping some kind of secret.”  With a laugh, he added, “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell Daichi.  Somehow it’s like secret training.  It’s exciting.”

…

It was getting later in the morning and both Miyo and Kamui were sitting on the bleachers, yawning.  It was going to be another long day.  Tanaka and Kageyama were at the net, practicing their sets and spikes while Koushi and Hinata were working on his receiving.  But it seemed like he was distracted the entire time and kept looking over at Tanaka who made a lot of noise every time he hit the ball.

Koushi hit the ball again and it glided through the air before landing on Hinata’s head who was blatantly not even looking at the ball.  Koushi told him, “Hinata, don’t look that way!”

Hinata whined, “I want to spike too!”  To Kageyama he practically begged, “Toss me one too!  You really like tossing, right?  Then toss one for me, too!  Just one okay?  Just once!  How about it!”

Kageyama glared darkly at him and growled, “No way.”

“Why!?”  He shouted back.  “You’re stingy!”

“You have to be able to receive the toss to attack.  You’re too slow at receiving, so you can’t take my tosses.  I’ll also be tossing to Tanaka-san in Saturday’s 3v3.  We’ll also leave the attack up to Tanaka-san.  You just do your best to not drag us down.”

Hinata dipped his head and growled.  “If I can receive the ball in a way that you’re happy with, will you toss to me as well?”  The orange haired boy’s brown eyes were narrowed with determination to prove himself.

Kageyama plainly answered, “If it’s someone that can help us win, I’d toss to anyone.  During a game, if it’s absolutely necessary to toss to you, I will do so.  But, I have never thought that you were necessary for us to win.  Besides, improving your receive isn’t as easy as you think.”

Tanaka made a dark and angry face.  “That guy somehow pisses me off.”

Koushi tried, “It would be okay to give him a shot now and then, wouldn’t it?”

Kageyama turned and headed back to the net.  “Well, I’ve wasted enough time.  Let’s leave it at that.”

Hinata stood there with his fists clenched and his teeth gritted for some time.

Miyo was all but snarling beside Kamui as well.  Kamui took her opportunity to scoot a couple feet down the bleachers away from her.  Miyo demanded, “Why is that guy such an asshole?  Sure Hinata isn’t great, but with his jumping ability he’s got potential!   How is he supposed to get better if that jerk won’t give him a chance?”

“He’s too intense about the game.”  Kamui answered plainly.  “They both have major flaws that will prevent them from getting any better.”   Her computer made a noise and she paused before going back to work.

…

“Hey Hinata.”  Miyo tossed the boy another ball as she asked, “Since that Kageyama guy is such an asshole, about I toss to you when you  have the time around your other practices?”

Hinata caught the ball and shouted, “R-Really!?”

Miyo explained, “I’m not fantastic or anything but I can get the job done so that you can practice spiking, which is what you want to do, right?”

Hinata squealed excitedly.  “Yes, of course!  I really like spiking!  It looks and feels good and its cooler than anything else!  But… in high school we didn’t have a setter for 3 years because we didn’t have any members.  I always asked my friend from the basketball club to toss for me.  Even after I retired from the club, I practiced with the 1 st  years, the girls setters… but no matter how good our relationship was, even though they were my friends, they couldn’t become real teammates.”

Miyo frowned.  This boy, despite all the obstacles he faced just in order to play volleyball, he never gave up.  That was some seriously impressive spirit.

“That’s why… I’ve always been waiting to know what kind of setter I’d meet in college!”  Suddenly as Hinata carried on, his expression fell into morbid shock.  “I’ve always been waiting for this day to come, but…”

“Well I’ll help you.”  Miyo told him with a wag of her finger.  “So you don’t have that problem anymore.  And besides, Koushi who has been helping you already is also the official setter for Karasuno.”

Hinata’s expression darkened and he stated, “I know but… if I get Sugawara-san to toss for me… somehow, it feels like I’ve lost…”

Miyo laughed lightly and shook her head.  “There’s no reason to think that way.  Why are you so competitive with him?  You’re both on the same team now anyway.”

Hinata glared down at the ball and explained, “During our game in high school… no matter what Kageyama did, he was good at it… he was always somewhere above me.  He was really strong.   When he was standing in front of me on the court, I just got really pissed off.  That’s why I came to Karasuno wanting to beat Kageyama…”

…

With a loud yawn, Kageyama strolled up to the juice machine and put some money in.  He looked at Kamui who had followed him over and he asked, “Do you like juice?”

“It quenches thirst.”  She responded.

“That’s not what I asked!”  He shouted at her. “Do you  _ like _  it or would  you rather have something else? ”

“I have no preference.”  Kamui answered.

“How can you not even like certain foods and drinks?”

“I don’t enjoy things.  Eating and drinking is necessary for survival.  That is why I do it.”

He glared at her for several moments before hitting a couple buttons.  Two drinks came out and he handed one to her and ordered, “Tell me how it tastes.”

Kamui set her phone into her pocket and opened it up before taking a small sip.  She looked at him blankly and stated, “It tastes like mangos.”

“Is it good?” Kageyama asked her.

Kamui turned the bottle around so she could see the nutrition label.  She answered, “No.  It’s made of concentrates and artificial flavorings.  It’s high in sugar and – “

“No the taste you idiot!”  Kageyama shouted at her.

Kamui pursed her lips.  “It just tastes like mangos, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Kageyama sighed, “This is unreal. You can’t even distinguish between if a food tastes bad or not?”

“Foods can taste bad?” Kamui asked, genuinely confused.  “The books have never said – “

“Screw the books!”  He yelled.

“Are you playing volleyball to beat Kageyama, then?”

Both Kamui and Kageyama looked up when they heard a familiar voice and they looked around the juice machine and to the little courtyard between the school buildings.  Miyo and Hinata were there practicing.

Hinata grumbled, “I want to be as strong as someone who can beat Kageyama.  Then I can definitely play against other strong opponents on equal footing.  I won’t lose so easily.  Because I don’t want to lose anymore.”

Miyo smiled at him and stated, “You seem pretty determined.  You’ve definitely got the right heart to do some pretty amazing stuff.

Kamui mumbled, “They’re practicing through lunch.”

Kageyama was just glaring at them, though.

Miyo giggled and told him, “But in otherwords, in your mi n d, Kageyama is the strongest opponent you’ve faced.”

Hinata’s brow twitched and he gripped the ball, struggling to answer, “Y-Y-Yess….”

“But now he’s an ally.  So he’s your strongest ally.”  Miyo corrected.  She jumped a bit though when this seemed to aggravate him and he took his rage out by trying to crush the ball.

Kageyama turned sharply back and stormed off the opposite way.  Kamui trotted after him a ways before she stated.  “You’re mad.”

“No.”

“Sad.”

“No.”

She gave him a questioning look and he shook his head.  “Don’t worry about it.  Let’s get you back to class.  How’s your juice?”

“It’s a liquid.”  

“I swear…”

…

The week carried on just like that.  Every chance they got, Hinata and Miyo were training together and then during their morning and evening practices, Hinata was training with either Koushi or  Kageyama.  But come Thursday morning, it seemed like they had a different fire going on.  Kageyama hit the ball to Hinata who was able to receive it for the first time.  His being able to bounce it back even surprised Kageyama because it took him a moment to react.

Hinata shouted at him, “Hey!  Don’t go easy on me!”

This pissed Kageyama off and he hit the ball as hard as he could.  “That’s fine with me!”  The ball shot like a rocket straight to Hinata who barely got his arms up in time to bounce it back where Kageyama would hit it again.

It continued like that for a long time, much longer than it had before.  Kageyama was hitting the ball in each direction, making Hinata run for each one and have to hit them back at awkward angles.  His receives may still not be great by any means, but they were definitely a hell of an improvement on what they’d been.  He was actually starting to look pretty decent.  Not to mention…

Miyo whined, “I’m getting exhausted just watching him.  Holy crap.”

“A normal body of his size should not handle that much stress.”   Kamui stated.  “But he just keeps getting back up.”

Kageyama told Hinata as he hit back another ball, “You’re probably at your limit.  You won’t be able to take this any longer.”

Hinata was panting heavily, but he shouted at Kageyama, “The ball hasn’t fallen yet!”

A bit surprised by his outburst, Kageyama hit the ball back awkwardly which caused it to go flying away from Hinata and he grumbled, “I didn’t mean to do that…”

Tanaka shouted at him, “What a bad personality.”

Koushi stated, “They’d been going at it for a while, it was only a matter of time.”  He paused and then added, “Hinata’s litheness has gotten better since high school.  But even greater than his litheness, Hinata has an ability to cling to victory.”

To everyone’s surprise, they watched Hinata get up and go after the ball that was sailing through the air.  Somehow, someway, he was able to run it down and jump just before the ball hit the ground.  His arm extended outward and somehow he was able to reach under it and bounce it back high into the air.  It had a lot of hang time as it made its arc.

Miyo let out a squeal of excitement and jumped to her feet.  “That’s it Hinata!  Way to go!”

Kageyama stood there forever, looking like he wasn’t going to do anything.  But then he put his hands up, and sent a toss up to the net for Hinata.  When the smaller boy realized what he’d done, his face absolutely glowed with happiness.  Despite being so exhausted, he sprinted to the net, jumped into the air and spiked the ball straight down on the other side.

Tanaka started laughing, “He managed to hit it in that condition.  Moreoever, with that kind of happy expression…”

Koushi told him, “To receive a toss from a setter is a normal thing for us, but for Hinata it’s something else entirely.”

Kageyama walked up to Hinata and looked down, ordering, “Hey.  On Saturday, let’s win it.”

After a moment of Hinata not responding, he turned away with embarrassment written all over his face.

Finally Hinata sputtered out, “Of course!”  Before he collapsed over onto his side, wheezing.

Miyo let out a shout of worry and jumped down the bleachers. “We need to get him some water!”

Kamui looked up from her laptop and quickly closed it and put it away.  She trotted down after her best friend but instead of following her to Hinata, she walked over to Kageyama and stated simply.  “You tossed him the ball.”

Kageyama took a long drink of water and answered, “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I did.”

Kamui wasn’t satisfied with that answer and she waited for him to explain.  When he didn’t continue and he saw she was still staring at him, he demanded, “What?”

“You said I could ask you what you’re thinking.  Or I’ll go back and get that book.”

Kageyama looked over at Hinata who was being held up by Koushi while Miyo helped him drink some water.  Meanwhile Tanaka just hovered and laughed.  He sighed and explained, “He has a strong desire to win no matter how the odds are stacked against him.  He’s determined.  It makes him better.”

“That’s incorrect.”

Kageyama turned to her with a twitching brow.  “What do you mean that’s incorrect!?”

“Determination doesn’t contribute to ones strength.  Working out, the training regiment, consistency, those things are what contribute to – “

Kageyama put his hand on her face and ordered, “Please stop talking.  You’re giving me a headache.”

Kamui stepped back so his hand fell back to his side and she stated, “The regular training is starting soon, you should hurry and help clean up.”

…

As fast as they could, they had all cleaned up the gym to erase any signs of their practice once again.  To no surprise, Hinata had convinced Miyo to join him to go get breakfast at the little local owned grocery store down the road.   But instead of going anywhere before school started, Kamui and Kageyama lingered in the courtyard, waiting for the doors to open and students to arrive.

Kamui looked up from her book suddenly.  “Question.”

“Hm?”  Kageyama asked.  He was sitting on top of the table while she was sitting properly just to his left.  He reached over and plucked the book up and read the cover.  “Physics huh?  That’s some intense stuff.”

“I read the article about what happened to your team in high school.”  Kamui stated.  “But what actually happened?”

Kageyama sighed.  If anyone else would have asked him this, he would have lost his temper and told them to get lost.  But he’d already done that to her and he couldn’t stand the thought of doing it again.  He could tell her that he didn’t want to talk about it.  But the only way he could learn from his mistakes would be to face them.

“I thought it was best… that I was alone.  Receives, tosses, spikes… It’s best I do them all myself.  I can receive the serve, I can toss the ball, and I can hit it.  That was my mentality in high school.  I pushed my teammates harder every day.  I told them they needed to move faster, to jump higher.  I pushed and pushed and pushed.  When it came to that game, when I tossed the ball up behind me, no one was there.  The coach put me on the bench because my teammates had enough of me.  They weren’t willing to receive my tosses anymore.  My time on the court had ended.  Because of myself.  Then we lost the game.”

Kamui turned the page in her book.  “You’re good at volleyball but you’re not very smart.”  He glared at her, but since she wasn’t looking at him, she ignored it.  She carried on, “Even if you could do all that by yourself, it’s against the rules.  You can’t toss and then spike.  It won’t count.”

“Yes.  I know that.”  He told her.

“Then why did you think you could do it alone?”

He gritted his teeth and looked away.  “I just…”

“Do you not like getting help?”

He sighed and his shoulders drooped.  “No.  I guess not. ”

“Ah.  That explains why you got so mad at me back then.”

“Will you stop bringing that up every chance you get!?”

“Does it make you mad?”

“Yes!  Cause I… I feel bad… it was wrong of me, okay?”

“True strength isn’t being strong enough to stand on your own.”  Kamui told him.  “True strength is being so strong that you make others strong as well.  You build a team.”

Kageyama looked at her seriously.  “You… really think that?”

“No.  I read it in a book.”

Kageyama groaned and tipped his head up.  “You’re so difficult… Do you at least agree with it?”

“You can’t agree with opinions.”  Kamui informed.  “You can agree with information.  But not opinions.  Opinions are invalid.”

“So… you don’t  _ like _  opinions, correct?”

“I feel nothing towards them.”  Kamui corrected.

He slammed his fist on the table and shouted, “Dammit work with me here!”

“Work towards what?”  She asked.  “You’re mad and yelling.”

“Because you’re frustrating me!”

“If you were like me, then you wouldn’t get aggravated.”

“Ugh!  You already admitted that you still had feelings, so why are you still acting like this?”

“It’s become normal for me.”

“That’s why I’m trying to get you to notice them and admit to them.  But you’re not trying.”

“I am trying.”

“How?”

“I’m investigating.”

“The book?”

“No.  You.”

Kageyama stopped and blinked.  “What?”

She looked up at him when his demeanor changed.  “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you… investigating me?”

“So that I can learn more about emotions.”

“But… why  _ me _ ?”

“Why not you?  Why would I want to learn basic emotions and become like the kinds of people that would watch as someone hit me?  If that’s what happens when I get emotions, then I don’t want them.  So if I learn how to be emotional, I want to learn the proper ones.  Ones that make me feel inclined to help someone in trouble.”

“Kamui…”

“So I want to be like you.”

His cheeks darkened and he looked away.   “Whatever.  Just go back to reading your book.”

She looked at him blankly for a bit longer before sticking her nose back into the pages just like he said.  He looked back at her when she did and he watched her for a bit.  She wanted to be like him?  Then he really needed to work on bettering his attitude.  He didn’t want her to wind up in a position like he was in high school.  Feeling,  _ hurting _  and alone.  

He reached out and mussed her hair.  “Do you like physics?”

“I have no particular feelings towards it.”

Kageyama’s brow twitched.  He was going to lose his mind with this girl.


	6. Chapter 6

“Don’t just use your hands!  Move your feet!”  Kageyama ordered.

It was Friday night.  The other practice was going on so the boys couldn’t use the gym.  Instead they were out in the field still working on Hinata’s receives.  Miyo and Kamui were a little ways away, watching them between a couple trees.  Miyo had suggested the location for fear of a stray serve hitting Kamui while she wasn’t looking.

As Miyo watched the two guys, she couldn’t help noticing that it appeared as though Hinata wasn’t even paying attention to what was going on around him.  He was just there with a cheesy grin, acting like they’d already won the game.  Noticing it, Kageyama purposely threw a ball in his face that knocked him back.  Kageyama ordered, “Concentrate!  The 3v3 match is tomorrow!”

Hinata rubbed his now sore face and whined, “I know that… tomorrow we’ll win!  They’ll let me in the gymnasium!  And I can really get started on club activities!”  He picked up the ball and added, “Oh, and I guess if we win, they’ll have to let you play setter or something.”

Kageyama shouted, “If you understand, then get concentrating!”

Hinata looked back at him and stated, “Now that you mention it, I wonder what kind of guys we’ll be facing.  It’s probably better than playing against senpai, huh?”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of guys we’re against, we have no choice but to win.”

Hinata shouted, “I was just going to say that, too!”

Irritated, Kageyama marched away while Hinata shouted about him clicking his tongue at him.  As Kageyama stormed back to where Hinata could throw him the ball, he glanced at the two girls that were watching.  Miyo was loud, a lot like Hinata and it bothered him, but they were both supportive.  They had come to their every practice.  Even though she was on the computer all the time, even Kamui’s presence helped him out.

Once they were both ready, Hinata tossed the ball to Kageyama.  “Take that!”

It was some time later, they’d been practicing all evening.   One of the balls that Hinata hit had bounced a wrong way and it flew off into a tree.

Kageyama complained, “You sent it flying!”

Kageyama picked up a stick as the other boy started climbing the tree.  Hinata whined, “I said to take it easy when we’re outside.”

“It’d be fine if you could just properly receive the ball!”

“You damn king…” Hinata grumbled.

Kageyama knocked out the ball off the branch and the ball fell off onto Hinata’s head who covered his mouth, forgetting that he hated being called that name.  The glare Kageyama gave him was absolutely lethal.

“What’s with Kageyama now?”  Miyo grumbled.

“He doesn’t like that name.”  Kamui answered.

“Why?”

“Because he has feelings.”  

Miyo glared at her best friend for a long moment before she stated, “You’re really liking this bland smart-ass thing more than you should.”

“Even if I had them, it is impossible to feel for an abstract noun.”

Miyo stiffened and decided not to open her mouth anymore.  Instead she just glared and glared and glared.

The sun had set a long time ago and now night was falling in.  It was getting dark, dark enough it’d be challenging to see where they were going without the streetlights.  

Kageyama hit another ball up into the air and told him, “This one will be from behind!”

Hinata watched the ball soar through the air.  He was concentrating so he stuck his tongue out as he started backing up to the get ball like he was supposed to.  But before it came down to him, another boy, a much taller boy, caught the ball in midair.  The smaller one with him laughed, “Huh, they really are practicing outside.”

The tall boy had blond hair and wore thick framed glasses.  Despite having the school uniform on, he had a large set of headphones around his neck.  He mocked, “Are you guys the first years who caused problems on the first day?”

Hinata jumped back and then tried jumping up to get the ball out of his hand.  “Give that back!”

“Isn’t it about time for elementary schoolers to be heading home?”  The boy questioned.

Miyo got up.  “I’m going to kick his ass.”

Kamui stated sharply.  “Don’t.   Don’t start a fight.”

“I’m not going to let him just make fun of Hinata like that!”  Miyo stated.

“Let them fight their own battles.”  Kamui ordered.

Hinata screamed, “Who the heck are you!?”

Kageyama stated, “You’re the other first years joining the club, aren’t you?”  He paused and then asked, “How tall are you?”

The smaller boy with green hair and freckles immediately began bragging, “Tsukki is 188 centimeters!  Almost 190!”

Tsukki grumbled, “Why are you bragging about it, Yamaguchi?”

“Ah, sorry.”  Yama whined and backed up.

Tsukki smirked and asked, “You’re… Kageyama from Kitagawa Daiichi aren’t you?  Why is one of the elite attending Karasuno?”

Hinata shouted, not wanting to be left out of the loop.  “Tomorrow we definitely won’t lose!”

Tsukki rested the ball on his head and stated, “Ah, right.  I don’t know if it’s an important match for you guys, but for us, there’s more of a ‘well whatever’ feeling.  So… how about we throw the game for you?”

“What the hell!?”  Hinata shouted.

Kageyama tipped his head, his bangs coverin g his eyes as he gave Tsukki an  intimidating glare.  “Whether you throw the game or go all out, the fact that I am going to win won’t change.”

Hinata griped, “You mean we!”

Tsukki laughed.  “Haha!  That’s some confidence!  Just what you’d expect of a king!”

Getting more aggravated by his taunts, Kageyama shouted, “Quit with that – “

“Oh, so it’s true!  The rumor that you dislike being called the ‘King of the Court.”  Tsukki continued on.  “It’s fine, isn’t it ?  King is a cool nickname!  I t hink it fits you perfectly, your highness!”

“What the hell is with you?”

“I saw the prefecture semifinals.”  He tossed the ball up and down.  “With such self-centered tosses, the rest of the team sure tolerated a lot.  That would’ve been impossible for me. What they weren’t able to tolerate was a guy like you.”

Kageyama’s teeth gritted in rage and his hands clenched.  But before he culd do anything, a ball came flying out of nowhere , hitting Tsukki in the side of the head, just narrowly missing his glasses but the force was enough for him to drop the ball and stumble backwards.

They all looked over to see that Kamui had kicked the ball that was sitting between her and Miyo.  Miyo had flinched away with her arms in the air out of surprise.  Miyo gasped.  “K-Kamui…?”

Kamui glared at Tsukki and her glasses slid down just enough that her red irises could be seen.  She ordered him, “Keep talking and I’ll knock your glasses off your face next time.”

Tsukki and Yama both stared in shock but as Tsukki got up, he started laughing.  “Oh I see, you let your cheerleaders do the fighting for you?  How cute.”

Kageyama stared at Kamui for several seconds before he turned and went for his back pack , “We’re done here.”

Tsukki laughed, picking up the ball that was thrown at him.  “Running away?  The king isn’t such a big deal after all, huh?  In tomorrow’s match, we’ll win against your highness and – “

Miyo jumped up and grabbed Kamui when she started towards the boys.  She quickly said, “Whoa, whoa whoa, what did you say to me, missy?  Stand down!”

Before Kamui argue or reach the bastard, Hinata jumped up over his head and snatched the ball right out of his hand.  He shouted when he landed, “shut up with all that ‘king’ and ‘your highness’ crap!  I’m here, too!  I’m going to hit the ball above that head of yours in tomorrow’s match!”

Tsukki narrowed his eyes in anger.

Hinata suddenly flinched and jumped back, but Tsukki regained himself and taunted, “Don’t be so angry.  Le’ts be fair, have fun, and not go overboard.  It’s just club activities, after all.”

Hinata scowled, “What do you mean, ‘just’?!”

“It means just what you think it means.  Well, until tomorrow, then.”  The boy taunted and headed out.

But Hinata kept screaming, “Wait a sec, dammit!  Who the heck are you guys!?

The guy laughed and told him, “Starting tomorrow, we’re teammates.  But we’ll also be opponents tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to seeing the ‘King’s toss’.”

Once they were gone, Hinata turned to Kageyama and shouted, “What the heck, what a nasty guy!  Tomorrow we’re definitely going to knock him down a peg!”

“Don’t just go saying whatever you want!”  Kageyama ordered.  

“You have a bad personality, too!”

“Shut up!”

…

Kamui and Kageyama headed back in silence for a while.  The street was especially dark since it was so late so Kageyama was walking her on back to her house before he went off to his own.  He stated, “You didn’t have to stay for the whole practice.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”  Kamui retorted.

He grumbled, looking down at her to see she was typing on her phone again.  He wondered what she was always doing on her technology that was so important to her.  But when he looked back forward, he murmured, “Look…. About what you did…”

“I don’t know what I did.  I just kicked the ball.”

“Into his face.”

“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“You’re lying.”

“I am not.”

“Yes you are.  You threatened him, too.”

“No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did!”  Kageyama told her sharply.  “We all heard you.  Even Miyo who was trying to get you to talk to her the rest of the evening.”

“That wasn’t a threat.”

“You said you were going to knock his glasses off – “

“It was a promise.”

Kageyama paused and then caught back up to her before asking.  “Okay.  Why?”

Kamui hesitated in her answer.  “Because it’s different when I’m not the one getting bullied.”

“No it’s not.”  He argued.  “Now you see how I felt when I saw you in the hall.  It’s not different.”

“Whatever.”

He eagerly asked her, “Are you getting irritated?”

“A bit.”

He smirked.  “Good.  You’re getting better.”

Kamui stopped and pushed her glasses up, looking up at him.  “Make sure you don’t lose tomorrow, Kageyama.”

“That’s the plan.” 

“I look forward to seeing you play.”

There was a soft expression in his eyes despite his scowl.  He reached out and mussed her hair.  “I won’t let you down.  I’ll win if it makes you happy.”

Her cheeks reddened and she asked, “How could something like that cause happiness?”

“What do you think should cause happiness?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t feel it.”

Kageyama sighed.  “I know, I know.  I’ve heard it all before.”  He started to open his mouth to say something else when the door to the house they were standing in front of opened.  A tall woman with long black hair similar to Kamui’s stood there.  

She glared at the two of them.  And her sharp voice shouted, “Kamui!  Why the hell are you getting home so late?”

Kamui started to open her mouth when Kageyama turned to the woman and bowed his head.  “My apologies, it’s my fault!  She was at our practice and it ran very late.”

The woman narrowed her eyes.  “Practice?  You mean one of those stupid geeky computer clubs?”

Kageyama’s eyes widened and he stated, “No.  The Volleyball club…?”

“What?  Now Volleyball?”  The woman rolled her eyes and sighed.  “Jeez.  What a waste of time.  And now you’re going to start getting home late?  You’re in college now, don’t you think you’re a little old be acting like a child?  When are you going to grow up?”

Kamui turned to Kageyama and dipped her head.  “Thank you for walking me home.”  She turned and trotted up the steps and said, “Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll still get everything done as promised.”

“You’re damn right you will.  I had to order in food because you didn’t bother telling me you weren’t going to be home until too late.”  The door slammed behind them before Kageyama could hear any more of the conversation.  His eyes were wide, though.  It was no wonder she ignored everyone at school.  The biggest bully in her life was her own mother.


	7. Chapter 7

Kamui left the house bright and early.  The game would start in a bit, but it wasn’t because she wanted to be early.  She just wanted to get out of the house before her mother realized she wasn’t going to be home.  If it were up to her, she’d stay away all day and never come back.  But she was surprised once more by the same culprit.  She blinked when she saw that Kageyama was waiting for her at the end of the driveway.  His hands were in his pockets and the usual scowl was on his face.  Trotting up to him, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk.”

“How long have you been waiting?”

“About 45 minutes.”  He told her honestly.

“Why didn’t you call me or tell me?”

His cheeks heated and he mumbled, “I don’t… have your number…”

Kamui held her hand out.  With a heated blush he pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her.  In a couple seconds, she had her number put in his phone book and handed it back.  She stated, “What is such a big deal that you waited out here so long?”

“The way your mother treated you…”

“Is fine.  That’s the way it ’ s always been.  I don’t mind it and it makes her feel better.”

“To belittle you?  No one’s mother should do that!”

“Mine does.”  She reached up and put her hand on his chest and pushed him back until he was out of her driveway.  “You should be focusing on your game, not my life.”

“I can’t just ignore that.  You have to go home to that kind of attitude every night?  That’s not fair to you.”

“What would you have me do?  Stand up to her?  She who pays for my meals, gives me a place to live, tells me… how useless I am…”

Kageyama’s moves were hesitant, but he slowly wrapped one arm around her and when she didn’t pull away, h e wrapped the other around her  as well and pulled her in against him.  He stated honestly, “I don’t have an answer… but if it’s ever too much…Call me… come find me… whatever you need to do.”

Kamui lingered there against him for a while before she closed her eyes and let herself relax.  A strange feeling overcame her.  It was warm and it seemed to reach from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.  It caused the beat of her heart to grow louder and her hands nervously reached up, gripping the front of his shirt.  “Kage-kun…”

Kageyama blinked and took a step back and quickly stated, “S-sorry if that was a little much… I just… want you to know that…”  He paused, seeing that under her black bangs that had fallen into her face, her cheeks were a dark cherry red.  His eyes widened a bit.  He had never seen her blush before and it… looked so damn cute.  She looked up at him and he had to swallow hard to not totally lose his mind at the sight of how cute she looked.

She stated slowly.  Very slowly.  “…you’re… warm…”

He paused, drinking in her words.  She refused to give opinions about things, but instead gave facts.  Was this a cover up?  Did she like that he hugged her?  She wasn’t pullin g away so she must not have dis liked it.  But he knew that if he asked her, she’d say she felt indifferent to it.  It was after holding her similar to this that he got her to confess to having feelings last time.  So he tried anyway, “Are you cold?  Do you enjoy the warmth?”

She pressed her face to his chest and stated, “It raises my body temperature.”

Kageyama felt a vein grow on his forehead.  “You win again, Kamui…”

She told him softly.  “We should go.  I’ll be cheering you on… okay?”

His cheeks flushed with happiness and he nodded his head.  “I’m glad to hear it.”  He stepped back and reached his hand out.  “Shall we go?”  After a moment of her staring at his hand in confusion, he quickly put it back in his pocket, feeling like an idiot.  He turned on his heel and quickly started walking.

It took a moment for Kamui to catch up, but when she did, she reached into his pocket and pulled his hand back out, but she held onto it as their hands fell down between their hips.  His cheeks were flushed as he looked at her curiously.  She stated, “This is what you wanted, right?”

He started to say something about he wasn’t sure, he had just done it without thinking, but now that her hand was in his, he didn’t want to let go.  He gave her hand the softest kind of squeeze and answered, “Yeah.”

…

Miyo was trotting down the street.  It was still a tiny bit dark out because the sun had only just started to rise over the horizon, casting the morning in a deep orange almost red color.  The touch of the suns light was just enough to make her feel a little warmer than it was.  It wasn’t particularly cold, but it was just a little brisk and with the thin layer of sweat on her body, it made it a tad colder.  She had been jogging down the sidewalk for a while now when she slowed at the sound of someone hitting a ball.  She glanced over to see the familiar orange-haired boy was practicing his receives against the wall of his house all on his own.

Miyo walked over to the fence and leaned on it, asking, “You’re getting last minute practice in before the game?”

Hinata jumped and the ball came down on his head.  He made a noise and then looked over at her.  As soon as he saw that it was her, his eyes lit up and he trotted over.  “Yeah, I was warming up and then I decided to practice hitting the ball back a few more times.  Turned into me just doing this for about an hour.”

Miyo tipped her head with a small frown.  “Careful, Hinata, you don’t want to wear yourself out before the match and not be able to play your best, right?”

Hinata’s eyes widened and he nodded his head.  “Right!”

Miyo glanced at his house and then asked, “Do you not have anyone you can practice with at home?”

Hinata shook his head.  “My parents are always busy and my sister is too young to be able to play.”

Miyo let out a playful noise.  “You have a baby sister?  Does she have bright orange hair just like you?”

He nodded his head while Miyo let out a squeal.  “You’ve gotta let me meet her sometime!  I bet she’s the cutest little thing!”

“Sure.  You can whenever. She’s not up yet.”  Hinata stated.

“That’s fine.  You’ve got a game to get to.”  Miyo offered him a big smile and he quickly picked up his things and ran back inside.   Just a short time later, he was back at the fence, his eyes filled with determination.  “Let’s go!”

Miyo admired his excitement and she couldn’t help but give him a big smile back.  “Show ‘em what you’re made of, Hinata.”

…

Once everyone was inside the gym, Miyo and Kamui took their seats on the bleachers.  Like always, Kamui pulled her laptop right out and went to work.  Meanwhile Miyo was cheering excitedly for Hinata.

Daichi pointed to Tsukki and Yamaguchi and stated, “Alright then, let’s get started.  I’ll be joining Tsukishima’s groups, so – “

“You are, Captain!?”  Hinata whined with a frown.

This made Daichi laugh.  “It’s fine!  As far as offensive power goes, Tanaka’s much better than me!  But don’t go easy on me because of that, okay?”

Hinata looked unsure but that was quickly interrupted by Tsukki clearing his throat and then announcing, “Now who shall we crush, er,  _ block _  first, the short one or Tanaka-san?  Oh, and I also really want to see when the King loses – “

Yamaguchi trotted to his friend and whispered loudly, “Hold on, Tsukki, they can hear you, you know?  That’s pretty awful!”

“I said it so I was sure they would hear it, though.  Be thankful that I’ve made them lose their composure.”

Daichi frowned and stated, “For a guy with such a good personality, you do some mean things, Tsukishima.”

“Not really.”  Tsukki stated, “A King who has been abandoned by his retainers and left on his own would be a real sight worth seeing.”

Kamui narrowed her eyes.  That guy was anything but a good personality.  She glanced up from her laptop screen and over at Kageyama.  His teeth were gritted, but she could tell how deep the wound from his abandonment ran.   He’d taken it to heart and it had changed him from the first time she met him.  Her lips pursed.  There was something inside of her that tightened up and caused her throat to swell and for some reason, she felt… nervous.  This feeling in her was crying out for her to cheer him up or something.  But she didn’t know the first thing about that.  About cheering a person up.  About… not liking someone looking upset.

Kamui glanced down at her hands that were trembling just over her keys.  It appears that she wasn’t as good at suppressing her emotions as she thought she was.

But Tanaka seemed to have a plan.  He trotted over and waved his hand.  “Did you guys hear that just now?  Saying such a thing.  Geez… that Tsukishima-kun… honestly…”  He turned, suddenly giving Tsukki a seriously dark glare as he snarled, “We’ll pulverize ya…!”

Once the game started, Miyo was on her feet, cheering and shouting for Hinata.  But as the ball came to Tanaka and Tsukki tried to block it, Tanaka hit it so hard, it shot right past his hand and scored a point.  This led to Tanaka screaming, ripping his shirt off and throwing taunts at the other team.

Daichi told Tsukki, “It was probably a bad idea to get Tanaka riled up.”

Tsukki just clicked his tongue in irritation.

After the next serve, when it came to Tanaka, he hit it from the back of the court, passing it to Kageyama who set Hinata up for a spike.  Hinata’s face was absolutely glowing as he soared into the air.  But even as he hit the ball, Tsukki was up, blocking it with his hand and sending it straight down into the ground.

Miyo cursed and when Hinata landed, there was a look of devestation in his eyes, just like way back in high school when he’d faced Kageyama.

But Tsukki teased him, “It surprised me yesterday too, but you can really jump.  Now if you were only a whole foot taller, you’d probably be a superstar.”

Glaring at Tsukki, Hinata shouted, “One more!”

The match carried on for a while and just like every time, Hinata’s spikes were blocked over and over.

Tsukki snickered as he walked backand stated, “C’mon, I’m just going to keep blocking it, y’know?  You should go ahead and use the King’s toss.  The sort that leaves blockers in its wake.  Just like the time you did the same to your spiker.”

Kageyama growled, “Shut up already…”

Yamaguchi tried to serve the ball, but it weakly bounced into the net and landed on his own side.  “S-sorry!”

Kageyama reached down, picking up the ball and stated, “…even if I can’t attack with speed, I’ll still win.”

Kamui looked up from her computer again.  It was true that he hasn’t used the quick toss once since this match started.   She began to wonder if he’d used it at all since his teammates abandoned him.  Was he scared?

Miyo put her knuckled to her chin and grumbled, “I hope that Hinata isn’t getting discouraged… but he hasn’t gotten a single spike through…”

As Kageyama walked the ball to the back to serve, Hinata shouted, “Give ‘em your killer serve!”

He tossed the ball into the air and hit it with a surprising amount of force and it expertly flew over the net.  Kamui’s fingers paused on the keys.  He looked so powerful when he served and it was a nearly perfect one, too.  But she gritted her teeth when Daichi darted in front of its path and was able to easily return it.  Yamaguchi sent it on over the net and it soared past Tanaka and hit Hinata too fast and flew off in another direction.

Kagayama gritted his teeth.  “Dammit.”

“Daichi-san’s weapon isn’t so much attacking as it is that steady receive.  His defensive ability is absolutely perfect.”

Daichi challenged, “Did you think you’d score a few points with that?  Even without excelling in ability, I have engrained this receive into my body for two years longer than you have.  Don’t think you’ll be able to break through that easily.”

And once again, Tsukki taunted, “C’mon your highness!  Shouldn’t you start getting serious soon?”

Kamui looked at Miyo and asked, “Can’t you eject him for unsportsmanlike conduct or something?”

“I don’t think that’s my jurisdiction…”  Miyo admitted.

“What the heck’s with you!?”  Hinata screamed at Tsukki.  “You’ve been at this since yesterday!  What the hell’s a King’s Toos!?”

Tsukki pointed to Kageyama and asked, “Do you know why this guy is called ‘The King’?”

Hinata grumbled, “Isn’t it cause he’s kinda relaly good…?  And guys from other schools are all scared of him? ”

Tsukki laughed.  “I think there are definitely guys who feel that way, though.  Rumor says that the nickname ‘King of the Court’ was given to him by the guys in Kitagawa Daichi.  The ‘King’s’ teammates in other words.  It means a selfish, egotistical King.  A tyrannical dictator.  That’s just a rumor I heard once, but watching  _ that _  game, I was in full agreement.  He took oppressiveness to such an extreme in that decisive match that he was forcefully benched.”

Kamui didn’t realize it but her hands had clenched into fists and were shaking behind her computer screen.  It caught Miyo’s attention who looked down at her with concern.  “Kamui?  You’re getting… mad again…”

“I really… hate this guy…”  She gritted her teeth.  She couldn’t explain the white hot feeling that was surging through her at that moment.  It burned like a fire but it also made her feel dizzy.  Made her feel… alive.  Her hands started shaking so bad that she had to put her laptop down.

Miyo smiled slowly as she watched her friend.  It had been a long time since she’d seen life in those eyes, but ever since Monday, the spark had been there.  Whether it was anger or sadness or whatever, she was starting to acknowledge her feelings again.  It felt like a miracle to her who’d been trying to so hard to bring he friend back from the darkness.  She glanced down at the court to Kageyama before looking back at Kamui.  It looked like someone else was figuring out how to cause a reaction out of her.  When Kamui stood, Miyo reached over and grabbed one of the volleyballs and handed it to her.  “Here.”  She shouldn’t advocate things like this.  But she was too damn excited to see Kamui actually functioning.  Besides.  She wanted to punch the crap out of Tsukki anyway, and knowing that Kamui  _ could not _  miss her target was satisfying enough.

Tsukki kept taunting Kageyama, “And you can’t use that quick strike anymore, because that decisive match left you scared, right?”

Tanaka growled, ”You’ve been mouthing off for a while now, you bastard.”

Daichi gave Tanaka a look that told him to keep it quiet and it just made Tanaka grumble instead.  But he didn’t need to say anything. A volleyball came flying through and nailed Tsukki right in the face, knocking his glasses off his head and sending into the ground.  Tsukki grunted and held his face, glaring up at Kamui who was glaring daggers right into him.  She growled, “I warned you!”

Kageyama glanced up at Kamui who was now getting reprimanded by Daichi, but her eyes were focused on him.  It’s like those bright red irises were ordering him to fight back.  He sighed and looked at Tsukki who collected his glasses and got back to his feet.  He calmly confessed, “That’s right, though.  Tossing the ball up only for no one to be there behind me, frightens me down to my very soul.”

Hinata looked at Kageyama curiously and then stated, “But that’s just a story about high school, right?  Since you toss the ball to me properly and all, that stuff doesn’t really matter to me.  The only problem is how we’re gonna knock you down!”  Hinata’s outburst caused Kageyama and Daichi to start chuckling as he continued, “We’re gonna win against Tsukishima and start club activities for real, and you’ll be a setter, fair and square!  So then you can toss to me!  Is there anything else to it?”

Kageyama was glaring hardcore at the oblivious little kid.

Tsukki growled darkly, “That sort of genuine straightforward emotion truly irritates me.  You can’t fill the gap in height with fighting spirit.  If you think you’ll get by on effort alone, you’re gravely mistaken.”

 The match continued on.

The ball was slowly coming towards Kageyama and he looked at both of his teammates who were motioning for him to send it to them.  He gritted his teeth, trying to think of who he was supposed to send it to.  So far, Hinata had failed to get past Tsukki.  He started to shout, “Tana – “

“Kageyama!!”

To everyone’s surprise, Hinata was already in the air, right where he needed to be.  The height of his jump was over the net and his determined eyes were glowing with anxiety.  Hinata knew that he would score, he just needed the ball.  He shouted, “I’m here!”

Like his determination pulled him in, Kageyama abruptly turned and sent the ball straight to him.  Hinata barely hit it enough  that it fizzled through the air and hit the ground close enough to the net that Daichi couldn’t get to it in time.

Hinata landed and gasped, “It really went over… and there was this rush of air…”

Kageyama turned on him, shouting, “All of a sudden, you – “

“But I was right there to receive the ball!  I don’t care about any of that stuff from high school!  For me, no matter what kind of toss it is, it’s one that I really want to receive!  I’ll jump anywhere!  I’ll hit any kind of ball!  So just keep on tossing it my way!”

Miyo giggled and her shoulders shook.  “He’s so adorable.  But his heart is in the right place.  No matter how you look at it, he has potential and he’s a strong-spirited fighter.  Once he starts learning… think of how good he’ll be, right?”  Miyo was waiting for some comment from her friend about how spirit had nothing to do with his lack of experience or how short he was and that he couldn’t suddenly get taller over night.  But she got nothing.  So Miyo looked at her friend and was shocked to see that she was the one on her feet, watching the match with wide eyes.  But those red eyes that were usually dull and concentrated, were glowing and filled with amazement.  Never in all the time that she knew her had Kamui gotten into a game and  _ wanted _  someone to win.

It caused Miyo to smile and she leaned her cheek on her hand as she mumbled, “You better not let us down, boys…”


	8. Chapter 8

Tanaka rushed over to Kageyama and Hinata and asked, “You guys can do quick sets!?”

“Quick set?”  Hinata asked.

“That fast attack just now!”  He clarified.

“Nope, not at all.  I’ve only ever hit tosses that go up with a  _ bwwooo _  and look like a tall mountain. ”

“But you did it just now, didn’t you?  And back in high school when you hit that amateur setter’s missed toss!  That sorta thing…”

“Eh?  But I don’t remember how I did that.  But what kind of toss it is, I’ll hit!  I’ll hit it, you hear!”

Kageyama still looked unsure and he said, “We aren’t in sync, so something like a quick strike is still impossible.”

“What!?”  Hinata shouted, “Stop being weird and faint-hearted!”

“Shut up!”  Kageyama ordered.

“Isn’t that because he’s not his usual ‘Kingly’ self?”  Tsukki teased.

Hinata screamed, “I’m going to knock you down, just you wait!”

Tsukki giggled, “You’ve gotten really mad again.  ‘It’ll be fine if I always recklessly exert myself’ isn’t a good mindset.  After all, each person has his own weak and strong points.”

Tanaka wanted to go in to punch the guy, but Daichi put his hand on his shoulder and made him stop.  Hinata sighed and stated, “It’s true that in high school and even now, no matter how much I jump, I’m stopped by a blocker.  Volleyball is a game where height is important.  No matter how high I jump, I can’t fill the overwhelming gap in height.  But that’s just what the Little Giant did.  That’s why I’ve thought how much I want to be like that.  So things like disadvantages and in ability don’t matter to me at all.  Wit this body, I’m gonna fight, and win, and keep winning.  I want to stand on even more courts!”

Tsukki put his hands on his hips and stated, “Like I said, that way of thinking is no good.  This isn’t about spiritualism.  You think ‘feelings’ can fill the height gap?  If you become a libero, that’s a different story, though.”

Kageyama stepped forward, walking up next to Hinata and glaring at Tsukki.  He stated plainly, “Clearing the wall in front of a spiker is what a setter is for!”   Kageyama grabbed Hinata and dragged him back away from the net.  Pointing a finger at him, he ordered, “Listen.  If you can’t return the ball, then dodge.  Using all of your physical ability and reflexes, hit my toss.”

Tanaka gasped, “That’s your quick strike explanation!?”

“I got it!”  Hinata shouted.

“You liar!  There’s no way you understood that!”

Both Kageyama and Hinata shouted, “Let’s start!”

Tanaka gave Kageyama a suspicious look.  “All this even though you were completely unyielding a few minutes ago.”

“I haven’t yielded at all.”

“You freaking liar!”

Once more, the game commenced.

Miyo was leaning back on her arms and stated, “I’m kind of excited.  Hinata is fast and can jump well, combined with Kageyama’s powerful serve from high school, this is going to be a seriously high-powered combo.”

Kamui’s hands were still clenched at her sides, eagerly awaiting the next serve.

Finally, Tsukki hit and sent it over to the other side of the court.  The ball flew to Hinata who was able to send it to Kageyama fairly well.  As the ball came towards the other boy, Hinata hurried to the right side of the net where Kageyama had pointed him.

But Hinata was still getting up to the net when the bail shot like an absolute bullet from Kageyama’s hands.  Hinata reached out with all that he could, but his fingertips didn’t even graze the ball and it flew on by.

Hinata stared in shock.  “Eh.  It’s that quick…?”

Kageyama shouted at him, “What the heck are you doing!?  Jump fas – “  He immediately clamped his mouth and gritted his teeth.

With that, Tsukki laughed, “There it is!  The King’s Toss!”

They tried several more times, but each time, the ball sailed right beyond Hinata and at most, he barely grazed the ball as it went on by.  Hinata was panting and exhausted after the last toss and he confessed, “I can’t get the timing right at all…”

Kageyama gritted his teeth and told him, “It’s because you need to react faster!  Come at it with more of a bam!  Guwaa!  Like that!”

“Is it Bam! Or Guwaa!?  Which is it!?”

Tanaka intervened, “That’s not what’s important!”

Miyo sighed and stated, “That shot is just too quick.  If Hinata can’t hit it, I don’t think anyone can.  So much for seeing an awesome combo…”  She looked over to try and pry some reaction out of Kamui but when she leaned over, she realized her friend wasn’t there anymore.  She looked over to see that Kamui was trotting down the bleachers and towards the court.  “Oi, what are you doing?”

Kamui jumped o f f the last bleacher and to the side of the court and waved her hand.  “Kage-kun, wait! ”

Kageyama looked over at her as Miyo trotted up beside her.  He asked, “What is it, Kamui?”

Kamui stiffened a bit and she looked away before dipping her head, her cheeks a bit red.  “Please let me offer you some advice this time.”

Miyo jumped in utter shock.  She was asking if she could give advice?  She was blushing?  She was acting cute!?  Miyo stumbled, “Oh my god, who are you and what have you done with Kamui?”

Hinata and Kageyama walked over, Hinata asking, “You have advice for us?”

Miyo suddenly got serious and stated, “Kamui’s mind is pure analytical.  She can integrate any factor into an equation.  She’s been a big part of how I’ve been so successful at sports.  She sees what I’m doing wrong and tells me how to fix it.  She can do the same for you guys.  If you want.”

Kageyama looked at Kamui who was staring at him expectantly.  He sighed and said, “Of course I’ll hear you out.  Anything will help.”

Kamui nodded her head and took the ball from him and raised it over her head.  “Okay then.  You’re doing the equation backwards.”

Hinata turned his head away. “She’s really talking math…  There’s no way I’m going to get this.”

Kamui glanced at Hinata and then loo ked back at Kageyama.  “ Hinata has ability, his jump is high and he’s fast and he can easily adjust, but your toss is still too fast for him.  Too fast for anyone really.  But you’ve got talent.  That’s why Hinata can’t adjust but you can.  Your ability is already there and is shining, but his is still buried.  You have to adjust to him because only  _ you _  can.”

Kageyama pursed his lips, trying to figure out what her riddle was telling him.

Kamui frowned, realizing that she wasn’t being understood.  “You see… by the ratio of time that it takes the ball to reach the target destination of the apex of the spiker’s height and reach, the average human reaction time doesn’t allow for enough buffer to reach the destination and swing for the ball and – “

They were all getting lost now.  Kageyama put his hands on her shoulders and stated, “I don’t get the math stuff.  Tell me what I need to do.”

Kamui pursed her lips, getting more flustered now.  She was trying to figure out how to explain this for all of them.   “Okay… see… you have the ball control and the ability to see through the opposing blockers movements and reacting accordingly.  Hinata just runs and jumps.  You have the technique so why don’t you react to his movements instead of expecting him to keep up with yours?”

Kageyama’s brow twitched as he started understanding what she was saying.  He glared at Hinata for several seconds before he groaned.  “I get it.  Okay.”

“You do?”  Kamui asked.

To Hinata, Kageyama griped, “I’m jealous of your physi cal ability.  That’s why you,  w ho  has ability but is horrible, irritates me.  Since that’s the case, I’ll have to bring out the best of your ability.”  He started heading back to the net as he continued, “At your fastest speed, perform your highest jump, and I will get the ball to you.”

“You’ll get it to me?!  What’s that mean?”

“Just jump as fast and as high as you can where there’s no blocker.  Then, hit with all your might.  You don’t need to see my toss.  You don’t need to connect with the ball.”

“I have to see the ball or I’ll just be swinging at empty air!”

“Probably!  But…”  He glanced at Kamui who was sitting back with Miyo in the bleachers.  But he noticed that her laptop was closed and she was actually watching the match.  He rejected her advice back in high school when it probably could have saved him from humiliation, from getting benched, from losing.  So now, he wanted to give a try.  No matter what.  “It’s worth a shot.”

Hinata paused and then nodded his head.  “I got it.”

Tsukki scoffed, “You’re planning to do something again?  I’m telling you, nobody can hit the King’s egocentric toss.”

They all went back to their positions but this time, Kageyama was different than he was.  He was looking all around, concentrating on everything, focusing on everything.  Kamui recognized that kind of look.  He was analyzing, processing, deciding.

When the ball came to Kageyama this time, it was completely different.  He found where Hinata was, where he needed to be, where the ball needed to be.  He found it all.  Decided it all.  This time when he tossed the ball, the bullet went straight to Hinata’s hand and in the next second, it was already on the court floor on the other side.

The second it landed, Kageyama let out an excited shout and Hinata was staring at his hand in shock.  Hinata wiggled as he mumbled, “I hit it… with this hand!”

Tsukki grumbled, “You hit it?  You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

But Daichi was twitching in shock.  “Oi… just now…Hinata… had his eyes closed…”

Everyone on the court shouted in shock.  Tsukki asked, wide-eyed, “Um, what does that mean?”

Daichi slowly explained, “From the moment he jumped to the moment he swung at the ball, Hinata had his eyes closed.  In other words, Kageyama brought the ball directly to the pal m  of Hinata’s hand while Hinata wasn’t watching it at all… The instant his swing connected, there wasn’t even the tiniest bit of confusion.”

Hinata was jumping around for joy.  “Awesome!  That was amazing!”  He ran over to Kageyama, “Hey!  What was that just now!  I hit it though!  With my hand!! Just now!  I did!  Hey!”

Kageyama shouted at him, “Why did you have your eyes closed!?”

“You said don’t look at the ball, didn’t you!?”  Hinata questioned.  “If my eyes are open, I end up watching it no matter what I do so…”

“I did say that… but…”

“But that was a success just now, right?  What’s the problem!?”

“That might be true, but is it unusual to trust someone 100% like that!?”

“It’s cause I don’t know any other way to do it!”

After a while of Kageyama thinking, he explained, “Okay!  Since Hinata’s spike was successful, now they won’t know who to target, so it’ll also be easier for Tanaka-san to score hits.  Even though there isn’t a speck of mutual trust between us, I’ll get the ball to you next time, too.  Believe in me and jump.”

Miyo laughed softly and stated, “They sure have come a long way, right?   For a hit like that sync up, Kageyama’s technique and Hinata’s abilities make quite the pair.  And your advice was fantastic, too.  This is great.  It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a match so much.  And this isn’t even a real game.  Imagine them getting serious.”  

Once again, Miyo didn’t get a response, so she looked at her friend who was just staring at the court.  Her crimson eyes were still glowing and she wondered just what was going through her best friends head at the moment.

But the next time that they tried to sync up on that hit, the ball hit Hinata right in the face and he flopped over.  Kageyama watched him fall and admitted, “My bad…”

Kageyama looked all around him again, at the other players and what they were doing and a smile spread on his lips.  He couldn’t help thinking to himself just how much fun he was having.

Hinata whined, holding his injured face.  “What’re you grinning for?  Don’t screw with me!  That’s the second time it’s hit my face y’know!”

Miyo giggled and teased, “I can’t tell if Kageyama is doing it on purpose or not…”

While Kageyama and Hinata talked, Tsukki grumbled, “I don’t get it.  Even though that was a fluke earlier, how many times will they keep trying until they’re discouraged?”

“Well, probably…” Daichi stated, “Until Hinata jumps without seeing the ball again, I guess.  It’s certainly hard to understand.  Trusting another person 100%, it’s not something so easily done.  And what’s more, they’re rivals.”

Hinata went to get back into place, rubbing his injured cheek.  “Dammit, I need to get better at this.”  Despite his face hurting, he kept looking down at his hand that smacked the ball.  It was so intense and exciting.  The thrill of wanting to do it again was almost overwhelming.

The ball came back into play and Tanaka sent it to Kageyama once more.

Tsukki growled, “No matter how many times you toss it to that shorty, it’ll end in failure.  If you only target Tanaka-san, then – “  He wasn’t able to finish, seeing Hinata charging dead straight towards the net.  Tsukki panicked and hurriedly ordered Yamaguchi to help him block the ball.  Hinata reached the net and saw that he had two blockers; a ‘wall’.  He quickly turned on his heel and shot back across the court to the other side.  As Kageyama went to catch the ball, he spotted Hinata rushing across the court and he adjusted properly.

Because he was faster, he was able to get into the air, just above Tsukki.  Swinging at the highest point, just like the first time, the ball went right to his hand as he spiked it down.  The ball zoomed down just past Daichi, ending in another point for their team.  In perfect unison, Hinata and Kageyama both cheered excitedly.

To their own bewilderment, Miyo and Kamui both found themselves standing to their feet and let out a cheer as well.  They looked at each other and Miyo smirked, teasing her friend, “Look at you getting excited for a game.  That’s not like you.  I didn’t think you liked volleyball.”

“I have no feelings towards it.”  Kamui corrected.

“You do for this game.”

“Not the game.”  

Over and over again, they were able to shoot the unstoppable quick spikes to Hinata and each time the accuracy grew better and the hits stronger, the set faster, and the points raised on the scoreboard.  It was down to the last point for them.  It was their match point and they could win.

Hinata charged the net as Kageyama set up to spike.   When he jumped into the air, Tsukki was right there, shouting that he wouldn’t let him get another point past him again.  But Kageyama saw this and he transitioned, throwing the ball the other way to Tanaka who let out a shout of joy, “Here it comes!!!”  He nailed the ball, earning a point just past Yamaguchi and winning the match.

Getting way too wound up, Tanaka shouted, “How’s that punk?!  Hey Tsukishima!?  Didn you say you were gonna crush me and Hinata!?  You just fucking try it!”

Koushi teased from the side lines, “Why are you the one lording over it the most?”

The others agreed, “Yeah!  You were able to hit thanks to that 1 st  year, too!  That’s some attitude you’ve got!”

“Frankly, Tsukishima’s team lacks determination, so if they can’t stop Kageyama and Hinata’s attack, it’s gonna be hard on them.”  One of the guys said.


	9. Chapter 9

Miyo laughed as she patted Hinata’s back, “You did great!  That jump of yours is amazing!”

Hinata giggled, his face red like an embarrassed and nervous little kid.  “Th-thanks, Miyo…”

Kamui walked up to Kageyama who was taking a drink of his water.  When he saw her there he asked, “You enjoying the game so far?”

She pursed her lips, thinking before she stated, “It’s just a match.  Nothing to get worked up about.”

Kageyama smirked, “Oh yeah, is that why I heard you cheering a few times?”

Kamui’s cheeks turned dark red and she looked away.  “I wasn’t cheering…”

“Your laptop has been closed the entire time.”

“Th-the battery died.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Kamui glared at him, her cheeks stained in crimson and she barked, “If you know the answer then why are you teasing me?”

“Cause I want you to admit it.”

“There’s nothing to admit.”

“Liar!  It’s so obvious but you refuse to see it!”

“There’s nothing obvious besides that you’re teasing me!”

“It’s only teasing because you know it’s true!  You just said I knew the answer!”

“ I was only saying that to make you feel better!”

“No you weren’t!  You’re the worst liar ever!”

“I’m not lying!  You’re lying!”

“Now you’re just acting like a kid!”

“You’re acting like a kid!”

“Kamui.”

Both of them stopped arguing when they heard someone else walk up.  In the midst of their disagreement, Kageyama had caught her in a headlock and was mussing her hair, but they both looked up as Daichi put his hands on his hips.  He asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing.”  Kamui stated plainly.  “He’s trying to tell me that he heard me cheering.”

“You were cheering.”  Daichi stated.

“See!”  Kageyama shouted.

“I was not!  You’re all ganging up on me!”

Kageyama returned to giving her a noogie as he stated, “We’re not ganging up, you’re in denial!”

Daichi chuckled and told him, “Careful, Kageyama. My sister may be little but she’s pretty strong too.  Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.”

There was a long pause of silence before Kageyama suddenly let her go and shouted, “Sh-she’s your sister!?”

Miyo giggled, overhearing the conversation.  “You hadn’t put two and two together, yet?”

“N-No…”  Kageyama stated nervously which caused Daichi to start laughing.

“Take it easy, kid, I’m not going to kill you for talking to her.”  Daichi stated before looking at Kamui.  “In fact… it surprised me.  You look like you’ve really been enjoying the game.”

Kamui glared away and grumbled, “See this is how the argument started.  I can’t enjoy a game.  It’s just a game.”

“Believe what you want, Kamui.  I haven’t seen you look this alive in a long time.”  Daichi stated.  “It’s refreshing.”  To the others he stated, “Hurry up, the next set is about to start.”

The next set was almost as exciting as the first.  Hit after hit, both teams climbed their way  up the points ladder until it finally reached the game point for Hinata and Kageyama.

With a chuckle, one of the watchers stated, “Kageyama is definitely amazing, but that precision toss really seems to be wearing him down.  It looks like it’s effecting Hinata’s usual range of movement, too.”

Koushi laughed as the last point scored and he stated, “Yeah but, they look like they’re having fun.”

Now that the game was over, Kamui packed up her laptop and made her way down the bleachers.  The older boys were all talking to each other while Hinata and Kageyama were on the other side of the gym and Tsukki and Yamaguchi were both elsewhere as well.

As Miyo and Kamui walked over to the two boys, they were heading for Tsukki and Yamaguchi.  Hinata called, “Tsukishima!”  And he held out his hand.

Tsukki glared at them and asked, “What?”

Hinata explained, “You shake hands at the beginning and end of a match, right.  We didn’t at th e start of today’s tough.  And  w e ’re gonna be teammates from now on, too.  Even though I’m not too happy about it.”  Under his breath, he added, “Hurry up and shake it already.  Don’t you know, if you don’t have an awareness of being teammates, then you’ll be thrown out of the gym!?”

Tsukki plainly told them, “You two were banned from the gym because you repeatedly ignore d  the captain ’ s warnings, started  a  game of your own accord, and ended up blowing off the VP’s wig.”

“W-whatever!  Don’t sweat the details!”  Hinata ordered.  Getting irritated now, Hinata dove for his hand, ordering, “So shake!”

They all started laughing as Hinata and Tsukki engaged in their own kind of dance as he tried avoiding having his hand touched, but it wasn’t working.  In the end the taller brat just ended up glaring at his hand in pure hatred.

Kamui smiled just a bit, but Kageyama didn’t miss it.  He put his hand on her head and stated, “See, you’re enjoying yourself.”

“It’s funny.  Laughing is a normal reaction to something funny.”  Kamui corrected.

Kageyama agreed, “Yes it is.”  He noticed that Kamui started to step a little closer to him when Daichi walked over and called Tsukishima’s name.

Daichi asked, “What did you think about the 3v3 match?”

Tsukki scoffed.  “I didn’t really care about it.  We were against that elite school’s King so there’s nothing strange about us common folk being unable to win.”

“And yet… you really got serious out there, didn’t you?”  He teased the younger player.

“Captain!”

Daichi turned around to see that both Kageyama and Hinata were holding out their applications for the club with determined expressions.   It made him chuckle he walked away without saying anything.  He went to the club’s storage closet and pulled out large box, setting it down in front of them.  When he opened it up it was club jackets for all of them.

Eagerly and like happy little kids, they all pulled them out and weaseled their way into them except Tsukishima.

Koushi suggested, “Why don’t you try it on, too?”

Tsukki argued, “I’ll do it later.”

“What are you embarrassed?  It’s fine!  Just try it on!”  Tanaka ordered.

Once they all had them on, Daichi stated, “From now on, let’s do our best as Karasuno’s volleyball club!”

With one last cheer, they all agreed.

It was only a few minutes later than an overly eager Kageyama shouted, “Oi!  Hinata, you rested up right?  Let’s practice the quick strike again!  We’re just getting the hang of it!”

“Yeah!”  Hinata agreed, running over to Kageyama.

Tanaka gasped in shock.  “You’re already moving around again?”

Kageyama explained, “I want to try it out in an actual game as soon as possible.  Even if it’d probably be a practice match.”

Hinata stared in awe.  “A practice match… against another school…!”

Kageyama warned, “In an actual game, there’d be blockers that are like Tsukishima x3, you know!”

“That’d be awful!”  Hinata agreed.

Though the other guys all headed out after calling it a day, Kageyama and Hinata lingered in the gym for a few hours still, practicing their shot.  Miyo, somewhere along the line had fallen asleep, but if Kamui was a betting person, she’d say that the girl had probably been up much earlier than the rest of them jogging like usual.  Her chin rested in her hands as she watched the two boys play.  Her eyes were focused on every move Kageyama made and her mind was analyzing the numbers his body produced.  The speed of the ball, his reaction time, the height of his set, the angles, the spins, everything.  It puzzled her analytical mind as to how his body was able to produce such high numbers.  The ratio just didn’t fit in.

A bit later, Kamui nudged Miyo and asked the girl if she was hungry.

Miyo whined, “Oh god yes.  Are they done yet?”

Kamui shook her head.  “Still going.  They looked exhausted though.  I bet they’re hungry, too.”

Miyo nodded and got up, jumping down the bleachers, skipping every other one until she reached the court.  Kamui told her, “Miyo, don’t jump there!”

Suddenly the ball went flying off Hinata’s hand and it nailed Miyo right in the face.  Hinata freaked out and raced over to her, screaming her name with fear.  “I’m so sorry!  Are you okay!?”

Miyo laughed as she sat up and fanned her hand.  “I told you… I’ve played so many sports, I’m used to taking one for the team.”  She giggled and rubbed her face.

Hinata whimpered, “But it’s not funny…!”

“Sure it is.”  Miyo told him as she got up to her feet.  “By the way, are you boys hungry?”

At the same time, both boys stomachs’ let out a loud obnoxious growl and it made Miyo laugh.  “I’m going to go for a run and pick something up.  What do you guys want?”

Hinata squeaked and shouted, “I want to go too!  Please!”

Miyo made and exhausted face.  “You’ve been going nonstop and now you want to run?”

He jumped up and down, making a pleading face and Miyo put her hands on his shoulders and snickered, “Fine, fine. ”  She looked at the other two and asked, “You guys comin’?”

Kamui shook her head.  “I’m behind on my work.  If you’re going for a run as well, then I’ll just stay here and try to get caught up.”

Kageyama looked away and mumbled, “I’ll stay too then.”

Miyo giggled, leaning on Hinata’s head.  “Alright.  You guys are boring.  Come on, Hinata, I’ll race you!  Let’s see if your tired ass can keep up.”  She laughed as she was already bolting for the door with a loud Hinata giving chase.

A moment after they were gone, Kageyama gasped.  “I didn’t tell her what I wanted.”

“You’ll get a sandwich.” Kamui responded, picking up the ball that had rolled near their feet.  “The grocery store down the road sells a special sandwich that is really high in protein and good for athletes.  It’s kind of a tradition that was started when my brother was a first year.  That’s what we always picked up for them.”

“Oh.”  Kageyama stated.  He noticed that now that the match was over, she seemed to mostly go back to her calm usual self.  He was guessing she liked volleyball a lot more than she was letting on.  So he teased her, “You still haven’t picked up your computer.”

Kamui sighed and stated, “I didn’t feel like working on it.”

“But you said it put you behind.”

“It’s fine.  I will catch up.  I won’t sleep tonight.”

Kageyama frowned and stated, “I’d hate to think that you won’t be able to rest tonight cause you came to watch the match.”

She paused, balancing the volleyball on the back of her hand by positi oning it at its center of  gravity.  She told him.  “It’s fine.  Because I wanted to watch it.”

Kageyama’s cheeks turned pink and his eyes widened with surprise.  “You did?”

She looked over at him and let the ball fall back into the palm of her hand as she walked up to him.  She explained, “I’m not a big sports fan, but I appreciate those who are talented.  You were very talented in high school and you’ve only gotten better.  I… enjoy watching you play.  I would like to watch all of your matches.”  She confessed, her cheeks a light pink.

Kageyama paused at her admittance and he nervously asked, “Would that make you happy?”

She shyly nodded her head and added, “I can’t remember the last time I was excited about something.  But seeing the two of you trying so hard… and seeing you accomplish something amazing… it made me really happy. I want to keep cheering you on and watching you get better and better.”

He reached his hands out and placed them on top of hers on the ball she was holding.  He told her, “Then I want you to come to as many as you can, okay?  I want you to learn how great it is to feel happy and excited.”

Kamui glanced up at him and shyly stated, “I still don’t know about becoming a normal emotional person… but, I feel like around you I don’t have much of a choice.  It just… happens.”

“Do you like the emotions you feel?”

“I’m… indifferent to them.”

“Of course you are.”  He sighed, but there was still a smile on his face.

“But I know that I’m the most happy when you win.”  She stated.  She leaned up on her toes and suddenly placed a single, tiny tender kiss on his lips and stepped back.  “So make sure you keep winning, okay?”

Kageyama’s entire face blew up in crimson and he was frozen solid.  After several seconds, he stammered, “R-Right!  I will!  I’ll win them all!  As long as you come to my games, I’ll do my best to win every single one of them!”

Kamui looked back at him with a smile on her lips.  She had read in a book once, or rather, it seemed consistent in many plots that male protagonists were often motivated by female supporters.  And it appeared to her, after that kiss, that he seemed even more fired up than before.  So it appeared to be true.  After a moment he asked her nervously, “B-but… what was that kiss for…?”

She held the ball against her stomach and working up her best smile, she answered, “It was for good luck.”

Kageyama blushed darkly and looked away, scratching under his nose.  “A good luck kiss would be better received right before a game you know?”

Kamui tipped her head and asked, “Would it help?”

Kageyama’s face darkened up.  “What?  Shouldn’t you be saying something like kisses don’t bring good luck or that’s nonsense or something like that?”

“It’s psychological.  Of course a kiss doesn’t bring good luck.  But if it raises your spirits you have more energy.”  Kamui asked again, in a different way, “Do you want a good luck kiss before each game?”

Kageyama stuttered.  “Y-Yes.”

“Okay then.”  Kamui stated and handed him back the ball.  “Before every match.”

“K-Kamui…”

“Hm?”  She looked up at him curiously, her bright red eyes were shimmering.

“W-would you… like to do… something tomorrow?”  He asked incredibly nervously.   “We don’t… have school and I wouldn’t see you otherwise.”

“Sure. What do you want to do?”  Kamui asked.

“Ah… I don’t know yet…”  He stammered.  “Can I meet you at your place around noon…?”

Kamui nodded her head.

…

Kamui was washing dishes in the sink, scrubbing away the junk of tonights dinner and then placing them in the dishwasher.  The machine hadn’t worked for months, but her mother was too lazy to go get it replaced.  She didn’t see any sense in replacing while she was around anyway.  Apparently she was capable of cleaning dishes without any issues.  She didn’t need the help of an appliance.

She heard her name called from the other room.

Quickly drying off her hands, she walked out into the living room and asked, “Something wrong?”

“I want something sweet.  Make some brownies.”  She ordered, flipping through channels on her TV.

Kamui commented, “Brownies at this time of night are bad for your health.  The fat and sugars in them will – “

“Shut up!  I didn’t ask for your opinion you ugly bitch!  You’re the last one who should be giving opinions on what’s good for peoples’ health.  Put some damn make up on and hide that hideous skin.  How the hell are you going to get a guy of any caliber to look at you?  You’re not pretty and my guess is you dropped another percent in your class because of your late night fraternizing with whoever that boy was.”

“He looked twice at me.”

“Are you talking back to me?  Get in that damn kitchen and do as you ’ r e  told!  Now!”

Kamui decided to let it go.  She went back to the kitchen to follow her mother’s instructions when she heard her phone go off.  She paused and walked over to it, seeing it was a message from an unknown number.  She rolled her eyes and put it back down on the counter.  She had just gotten the flour out when it went off again and her mouther shouted, “If I hear that damn thing again, I’m taking it away!”

Kamui hurriedly turned the phone to silent so not even the vibrations would alert her mother.  Opening it up she looked at the two messages she’d received:

** I think I was a little selfish.  You said you were behind on your work already.  Would you rather stay home and work?  I would hate to keep you more than I already have. **

** It’s Kageyama, btw. **

Kamui stared at her phone for the longest time, disbelieving, but an almost smile curved her face.  A fluttery, butterfly like feeling came to her chest and she wasn’t sure why.  Why would something as stupid as seeing his name on the screen of her cellphone cause her to become suddenly happy?

But it did.

She hurried through sending him a text back, afraid that he was trying to back out of their plans tomorrow.  She typed:

** No.  I’d rather be anywhere than home. **

She received almost immediately back, which caused the fluttering in her chest to grow worse:

** Okay.  But where would you like to go? I’m afraid I’m not sure what your interests are besides computers.  Do you want to go to a technology store? **

Kamui almost laughed.  Seeing a volleyball nut at a computer store was humorous in itself.  But he was trying so hard.  She quickly typed back:

** I’m not going to drag you to a computer store. **

** I’d go if you wanted me to. **

** I’ve no doubts that you would.  But if we’re going on a date, I want it to be somewhere you enjoy.  Because you already know that it doesn’t matter to me where we go. **

** Right.  That indifferent thing. **

** So… this is considered a date then? **

** It qualifies.  We’re two people and going out and doing something together. **

** OK you gave me the definition.  Do you consider it a date? **

** According to the definition yes. **

** Kamui.  You’re killing me. **

** I’m not even touching you. **

** God… **

Before Kamui could send a response to that text, she got another one.

** So going out with me tomorrow would make you happy, right? **

** I don’t know about happy, but it’s better than here. **

** Does your mom always act so terribly towards you? **

** Yeah. **

** Why doesn’t the captain do anything? **

** Daichi-nii and mom never got along, either.  He doesn’t live here anymore.  Last year he got a place with some friends of his. ** **   I’m not so lucky.  I’ve got a while before I can escape her clutches.  Before you ask, my father is a pro athlete and he’s gone on the road all the time.  The only time he comes home he sends a limo to pick up mom and I get a whole weekend away from her.  I haven’t seen him in years.  Guessing he’s not family friendly. **

** I wish there was something I could do to help… **

** Taking me out is something. **

** I’ll take you anywhere you want, anytime you want.  Say the words. **

** That would require me to want something. **

** Kamui… **

The conversation carried on all evening.  Kamui struggled to make the brownies in between text messages, but then she had to hide her phone away while in view of her mother. She finished the rest of her chores, laundry, trash, bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, all the other nonsense and was finally able to lay down at midnight.  She lay in bed, doing nothing but sending messages back and forth with Kageyama.  For some stupid reason, a dorky smile curved her lips every time her phone went off, knowing it was him.

But before long, she received a message that caused a frown, not a smile.

** I’m getting tired, Kamui.  I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? **

It took a really long time for her to send a message back.  Her thumbs were trembling.  She didn’t want to stop talking to him.  She didn’t want to be alone with her evil mother.  She didn’t want to call it a night.

Her eyes widened.  She didn’t…  _ want _  something.

Why was it that with this boy she was suddenly realizing all of these emotions she was actually feeling?  

Gritting her teeth, she finally sent back:

** Yeah, goodnight. **

There was a long pause in the response she got back and she thought for a moment that maybe he’d already fallen asleep and that was the end of that.  She just lay there, staring at her phone, wishing she’d told him that she’d truly started to want something when the phone buzzing in her hands made her jump.  She looked at the screen to see a new message from him.

** That took you a while to send.  Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but… do you not want to stop talking to me? **

Kamui swallowed a hard breath and forced herself to be honest instead of curling up and lying to herself like she always did.  She hurriedly typed before she’d regret it:

** I don’t want to be alone. **

Kamui’s eyes widened when her screen glowed to see an incoming call the very next second.  His name was on the screen.  With a trembling finger, she swiped it up and accepted his call.  She quietly whispered, “Kage-kun…?”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d answer or not.  Since you’re mom’s a freak about your phone.”

“I can’t talk loud…”

“That’s fine.” There was a pause.   “I don’t know how much longer I’ll last – “ There was a yawn from his side as if to prove his point.  “ – But this way, if I do fall asleep on you, you can stay on the phone and know that I’m still right here.”

Kamui’s gaze softened and she turned the volume up just a bit and set the phone down beside her head so she could relax and curl up.  “Thank you…”

“You’ve gotta start being honest with me like that.  I know I’m trying to get you to feel again, but I’m not a mind reader.  I can’t just automatically figure out what you’re trying to feel.  I don’t want to risk you feeling something like lonely or scared, okay?”

“I’ve been feeling something recently.  I don’t know what it is…”

“Okay?  Tell me about it.”

“I don’t know how to explain it… but it makes me smile…”

There was a light chuckling from his side and he said, “Well, good things make you smile, so we’re starting out well.  What else?”

“Well… it makes me smile at my phone… whenever you message me…  When I see your name… or… when you text back quickly…  I feel… strange.  Maybe a little dizzy.”

“Kamui…”

“I… don’t dislike it…”

“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.  We’ll stay out as late as you want so you don’t have to deal with your mom too long.”

“She’ll be mad if I don’t cook dinner.”

“We’ll pick up something for you to take to her.”

For a while they continued to talk quietly on the phone, but at some point, his words faded and were replaced by the softest noise of faint breathing.  It caused that stupid smile come back to her lips and she held her phone close.  He was right though.  It felt like was right there and it made her not feel cold.  It brought a warmth to her chest and she curled up, pretending that she wasn’t by herself in a big house that even her mother was in.


	10. Chapter 10

Kamui sat up slowly, frowning when she looked outside.

It was raining.

When she turned and let her legs dangle off the side of her bed, she noticed an alert flashing on her phone.  In the very top corner the little green light captured her attention.  She picked the device up to see that it was a message.  And when her lips curled up into a smile, she knew just who it was from, too.  She quickly opened the message and the dumb smile on her lips only grew.

** Hope you don’t mind, but I hung up.  I’m getting ready now so just let me know when you want to leave. **

Kamui stood up and went to her closet, her mind rolling through how concerned he was about her being here.  Miyo acted the same way quite often and when they were younger, she would stay the night whenever she could, because it usually kept her mother on her best behavior.  That was the whole problem.  Her mom was so good at acting in front of other people and no one would know how poorly she was treated otherwise.

The rain outside was pelting heavily on the window.  The dark murky moisture was falling heavily, enough that it was hard to even see outside. Why was it raining today of all days?  A frown creased her lips.  If this were a scripted movie, then the sun should be out and shining and she should have a great day.  But no.  This wasn’t a movie and she wasn’t about to get some fairytale ending.  She pulled on a black dress that had a white long sleeve jacket top and pulled white stockings up her legs.

It brought a smile to her lips as she remember Miyo picking them out for her.  The girl had helped her pick out clothes that looked nice and made her feel better.  She’d purposely rebelled against her mother all through high school, but she had taken it to an extreme and had begun to see that people looked at her strangely.  But with just a few tricks, her best friend had given her the ability to make those looks go away.  She pulled on a pair of her boots as well and hea ded downstairs while sending her date  a message:

** I’m leaving now. **

She put the phone away and was almost to the door when she heard someone clear their throat.  She looked back up to see her mother still in a robe, glaring down at her.  She hotly demanded, “Where are you going?”

“I was going to go study.” Kamui stated.  “Why do you need me to pick up something?”

“You aren’t going to study in that outfit?  You always wear that trashy sweatshirt to go study in.  Who do you think I am?  An idiot?”

“No, I – “

“Do not talk back to me!  What have I told you a million times?”

Kamui felt her chest turn cold.  This is the reason she closed herself out.  This was the reason she shut herself off.  Because if she was n’t  completely turned off, then it would hurt.  Like a dagger through her own heart.  Her fingers touched the door knob but she made no move to leave because the remarks would only get worse.   That bitter, heartless woman said the same thing she’d told her for her entire life.

“You’re not pretty, you’re not highly athletic, you’re useless.  Women don’t get strong on their own, we get pampered.  Your only hope to find a decent man who will provide our family with money is to keep your grades up.  If you’re not studying then you’re working.  But you don’t have a job because you’re a lazy good for nothing.  So if you’re not studying, then you’re cleaning the house.  It’s the only thing you’re good at, and even then you’re slow.”

Kamui’s lips parted but she had nothing to say.

“I was even nice enough to let you keep that stupid computer your brother bought you against my will.  But you continue to be ungrateful.  If I told your father what you were doing then – “

“I don’t care.”

“Excuse me?”  Her mother demanded hotly.

“I said I don’t care!”  Kamui screamed at her.  “Haven’t you done enough!?  You’ve ruined everything for me!  You continue to belittle me and treat me like you wish I was never born!  You make me work in this stupid house from sun up to sun down!  That’s the reason I don’t have a job!  You continue to emotionally abuse me every day!  You run off all my friends and even our whole family!  You’ve cornered me so I have nowhere to go and act like I owe you everything!  You’re not even the one keeping this roof over my head!  So stop acting like you’re doing anything for me except ruining my life!”

Silence settled in the wake of  her explosive argument.  The look of rage on her mother’s face caused a rock to settle in the pit of her stomach.

She was better off not feeling anything.  She should have never allowed herself to feel a thing.

But her mother’s voice was so calm that it was like ice as she slowly spoke.  “Most parents throw their children out when they turn 18.  I allowed you to stay here while attending college.  Who do you think is getting you your college?”

“My father.”  She stated simply.

“I am!”  Her mother screamed back suddenly.  “If it weren’t for me he wouldn’t even know you existed!  I tell him to take care of your stuff!  Everything you have  is  because I got it for you!  But you think you’re some arrogant little brat who can do whatever the fuck she wants!  Well those days are over.”  She uncrossed her arms and stormed down the hall towards Kamui’s room.

Scared.  She was scared.

That horrible, cold, bone-chilling feeling that ripped through her was fear.  She hurried up the steps, begging her mom repeatedly, “What are you doing!?  Stop!  Mom!”  When she go t to the door way of her room, her mother  threw the laptop case into her chest and pointed a finger towards the door.  

“Get out. Get out and don’t come back.”  She ordered.  “You ungrateful brat, you pay for your college and your home and all of that.  Get off your ass and get a job.  Get out of my sight.  And don’t you ever return.”

“Mom, please – “

She grabbed her shoulder and shoved her back until she was at the top of the stairs and she screamed again, “Get out of my sight!”

Kamui swallowed hard and murmured, “My clothes… and personal belongings – “

“If you didn’t pay for it, you don’t get it.  You can have the shitty worthless laptop because I didn’t buy it.  I don’t want you coming back here for any reason.  Now for the last time get the fuck out of my sight!”

Kamui slowly walked down the steps, feeling like her world was shattering.  For years she had faked it.  She had held it back and pretended it wasn’t real.  But now, one little screw up and she was out of a home and had no way to pay for college once the semester ended.  Her throat tightened up and she was overwhelmed with emotions as she walked out the door.

The heavy rain poured down on her but she ignored it, letting the front door swing shut.

She should have never allowed herself to feel a thing.

Only a few steps out of the house in the blustering weather and she heard someone call her name.  Kageyama rushed up to her with an umbrella in his hand.  He quickly demanded, “What the hell are you doing without an umbrella?”  He held it over her and said, “It’s pouring rain out.”

She was silent and just kept walking.  Without provocation he followed but he looked at her worriedly.  “Kamui?”

Kamui took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.  She couldn’t let this ruin his day.  She forced herself to fake it.  Simply, she said, “I presumed you’d be bringing one.  It’d be pointless to have two.”

Kageyama made a face.  “Oh so you assumed we were going to share one, huh?”

“That’s the proper procedure, is it not?”

“Proper procedure for what?”

“A date.”

Kageyama’s face lit up red and he stammered, “Y-Yeah but…”  He sighed heavily and continued to walk along side of her, holding the umbrella in a way that would keep her from getting anymore wet than she was.  Though just a few seconds in the downpour had her black hair looking a little frizzy.  He tried smoothing it out as they walked.  Though she wasn’t usually talkative, she was acting a lot different than she was last night on the phone.   He wondered if something happened, or if the feeling had just passed.  He frowned a bit thinking that she only liked him on occasion and little more than that.  He finally asked her, “So have you decided where you want to go?”

“Anywhere is fine.”

He frowned more.  “Do you like going to any particular place?”

“Not really.”

Kageyama sighed and led her to the subway that would take them downtown.  Once they were down the steps and in the station, he shook the umbrella and put it away.  He led her to the map that showed all the stops that were along the subway line.  Kageyama put his finger to his chin as he thought.  “There’s lots of shopping malls.  But I’m not a big fan of shopping and I know you’ll tell me you don’t care.  You said you didn’t want to drag me to a computer store, but I really don’t mind.”  He glanced down at her, but she wasn’t saying anything.  He looked back up and said, “Do you like bookstores?  I heard they opened a really big one up downtown.”

“That’s fine.”

He pursed his lips and turned her a bit towards him and asked, “Kamui, please talk to me.  What’s going on?”

“Nothing.  I’m not acting any different.”

“I know that… but… I can just… tell there something off.”  He told her sincerely.  “You were acting so excited last night.”

“You were acting excited.  I was fine.”  She sharply corrected.

Kageyama’s eyes saddened a bit and it caused her a physical pain.  Like, breathing stopped, throat swelled up, chest tightened, stomach hurt, headache kind of physical pain.  It  _ hurt _  her to see him upset.  He softly told her, “Let’s go to the bookstore and you can just work on your computer, okay?  You brought it with you so I’m guessing that would be your preference.”

He started to turn to get tickets to the subway when she reached out suddenly and caught his hand.  Her throat was still tight so it was hard for her to breathe.  “No.”

“Kamui?”

“Let’s have lots of fun today, okay?”  Her heart was shattering in her chest.  After today, she didn’t know what would happen.  She knew she had place she could crash for a little while, but what then?  She’d need to get a job and even then she’d have to drop out of school.  Then she wouldn’t be able to see all of his practices and matches.   Her lips parted and she felt ice cold tears run down her cheeks, which caused Kageyama to drop down to her and wrap his arms around her.  “No matter what.  Lots of fun…”

“Kamui… you have to tell me what’s going on… please.”  Kageyama whispered, running his hand through her hair to try and calm her down.  She shook her head but buried it into the crook of his neck.  He sighed softly and effortlessly picked her up so she could stay against him like that.  He got the tickets and boarded the subway.

…

She seemed to be doing a little better, but he could still tell there was something wrong.  With the storm raging outside, it felt rather dark inside of the bookstore, but that didn’t faze either of them.  Kamui was walking along the bookshelves, occasionally pulling one out and skimming through it.  But each time she’d just put it back and move on.  He teased, “Are you actually reading them that quickly?”

She glared at him over her shoulder.  “Of course not.  They’re just full of useless information.”

“Oh my bad.”  He smiled.  He was glad she was talking again.  “Isn’t there some rule of yours about information can’t be useless, it’s just information.”

“No that’s opinion.”

“What you said is opinion.”

“What I  _ said _  is fact.”

“That’s your opinion.”

They glared at each other, but it slowly melted into a smile for both of them.  Kamui moved on to the next book.  Kageyama pulled one out and said, “This one looks… computer-y.”

“Just cause it has a picture of a computer on it doesn’t mean it’s something I’ll read.”  Kamui stated.  “Not everything has to be about computers.”

“Coulda fooled me.”  He grunted when she elbowed him in the stomach but it made him laugh.

Kamui paused when she found a book she thought looked interesting.  She flipped through it a bit but then she went back to the first page and actually started reading.  Kageyama chuckled and suggested, “Why don’t we go sit down if you’re going to read it here?”

“N-No, I won’t read it here.”  She stated.  Kageyama walked up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder as he looked down at the book.  

“What’s it about?”  He asked.

Kamui froze in place.  She could feel his hard muscles against her back and though his hands were in the pockets of his hoodie, they rested against her hips.  His warm breath gently ran down the side of her neck and caused a flush to appear on her skin.   Finally, she slowly turned the book over so he could see the cover read: Personal Finance.

Kageyama chuckled and asked, “Are you taking a class for it right now?”

“No…”

“You like reading unique things.”  He told her, but he didn’t pull away from her.  He turned his head so that his nose nuzzled into her hair and he softly breathed in.  It caused that same tickle to run through her body and she made a soft noise.  It caused him to smile and he asked, “Do you want it?”

Kamui paused and said, “I just want to read a little and see if it’s worth the money.”  As soon as the words left her lips, she pursed them.  She wasn’t going to have the money to be able to afford things like this. She honestly couldn’t right now.  But it might help her figure out the best way to budget for herself.

Kageyama looked up and around, his chin resting on her head now.  After a moment he walked her over to where there were some bean bag chairs just sitting around for people to work at.  He dragged her over, despite her squeaky little protests.  He dropped down on it and pulled her with him so she kind of sitting in his lap but mostly sitting in front of him.  She looked up at him over her shoulder, but he nuzzled his head right back into the back of hers and said, “If you’re going to read then I’ll just sit here with you.”

“Won’t that be boring for you?”

He teased her by mocking her phrase, “It’s fine.”

It caused her to smile a little bit, especially when he freed his arms and locked them around her waist.  She leaned back into him and she stayed like that for a while, reading through the first couple chapters.  He never once complained about being bored, but the feeling of his fingers running up and down the sides of her arms caused a pleasant chill through her body.  After probably an hour, she closed the book and looked up at him.  He ran a hand through her black hair and asked, “Now, do you want it?”

Kamui shook her head.  “It’s not worth it.”  She stood up and closed the book, letting him get up as well.

Kageyama smirked playfully, “You spent all that time reading it to just not get it.”

She blushed a bit.  “Sorry.”

He tipped her chin up and gave him a soft smile.  “It’s fine.  Like I said, I just want to spend time with you.”

“W-why?”  Kamui asked.   “I’m boring and weird and nothing special and – “

Kageyama reached out and cupped her cheek gently.  His thumb brushed her cheek bone in the softest way and he told her, “Kamui… you are very special.  That is  _ fact _ , okay?”

Kamui hesitantly reached up and touched her hand on top of his and smiled slowly and softly.   “You have a weird taste in girls.”

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, whispering, “Just you.”

She gripped his hand a little tight and said, “Come on.  Let’s go have some real fun.”  She gripped his hand and turned, heading quickly back out into the storm – after putting up her book.

…

The rest of the day they traversed the entire down town.  They went sight-seeing, visited some museums, the aquarium that the downtown was known for, some sporting good stores so he could get more equipment for his games.  After that, there was some kind of circus thing in town and one of the clowns made a balloon hat for Kageyama, but it made his hair stick up in weird directions.  The rain weakened by the evening hours and they went to a cute little Italian restaurant for dinner.  After that they walked the large park and ran through the fountains.  Kageyama took a couple geysers to the face but it only made Kamui laugh harder.  One of the intersections had a photo booth and it was Kageyama who’d wanted to go, all but forcing her in with him.  For most of the pictures, she was struggling while they made weird faces, but for the last set, she’d given up and just collapsed against him.  They each got a strip of the photos and moved on.  They finished the night by riding the observation ferris wheel.  The sky was pitch black by the time they stepped off.

Kamui looked over, seeing a popcorn stand that made chedder popcorn.  She tugged on his sleeve and said, “Can we get some?”

“You want some?”  He asked curiously.

“My stomach needs a snack.” 

“You’re hungry and want food.”

“I need it to survive.  I don’t want it.”

Kageyama laughed and walked over, buying a bag of popcorn for her.  Kamui munched as they walked away and Kageyama mentioned, “We’re really late.  Your mom is going to be pissed.  Do you still want to try and get something for her and head back?”

Kamui paused and gasped.  “Head back?”

“It’s like ten o’ clock and we both have school in the morning.”  Kageyama stated.

Kamui frowned and looked down.  It was true they both had school, but as soon as this was over, she had to face the reality of this morning.  She wanted to keep him out with her longer, but she knew that he had practice at 7am.  Technically as an assistant team manager, so did she.  “I guess we can…”

Kageyama frowned as well and stated, “Don’t look so upset, Kamui.  I don’t want to call it a day either but we’ve had tons of fun.”  He stopped her from walking and turned to her, his cheeks dark red.  “If you want, this doesn’t have to be a one time thing.   We can go out as many times as you want.  Whenever, wherever.”

Kamui started to open her mouth to say that she didn’t want anything when he covered her mouth with his hand and said, “I know what you’re going to say.  I don’t want to hear it.  You told me over the phone last night that you didn’t want to be alone.  I won’t let you be alone.  I don’t know what changed since we talked last night, but you were finally confessing your feelings to me.  I was excited.  I want you to keep telling me the truth of how you feel no matter what.  I want to help you.  I want you to want to be happy.  Whatever that takes.”

Her gaze softened and he moved his hand from her mouth to cup her face just like before.  She whispered slowly, “Emotions are bad.  Very bad.  Except with you.  Even with you, the bad ones are okay.  Like when I got mad at Tsukishima… I still felt happy.”

Kageyama’s gaze softened at her confession.  “Then tell me what you want.”

“I just want to be with you.”  She whispered.  “I don’t want to be anywhere else or have feelings at any other time.”

He leaned forward suddenly and kissed her lips tenderly.  It shocked her at first but she closed her eyes and reached out, gripping the front of his jacket.  She pretty much had to hold herself up to keep from falling forward or backward.  He seemed to notice this and wrapped his free arm around her waist.  The kiss left her feeling dizzy and warm.  But her lips were naturally curling up into a smile.  She softly asked, “Was that a good luck kiss?”

Kageyama’s grin widened and he told her, “No.  That was a kiss because I’ve been dying to kiss you.”

“Am I supposed to be feeling this jittery?”

“I hope so, cause I do too.”  He told her.  “I’m… new to these kinds of feelings as well…”

She slowly stepped forward and leaned into his chest, welcoming the warmth of his embrace.  She softly whispered, “Then we can learn together.”

“That’s right…”

For some reason, the feeling of happiness that swarmed through her was stronger than the sadness and confusion of this morning events.  The joy she felt in that moment outshined all the bad and reminded her that everything was okay.   Her whole world was falling apart around her, but she was safe with this boy.  With the happiness he brought her.  Was this what he meant?  That there are some things worth the pain?  She realized with sudden sureness that the hurt of her mother throwing her out, was worth this moment.  Worth that kiss, that smile, that tender look.  All of it was worth it.

He stepped back to take her hand while she told him, “By the way, I’m staying at Miyo’s tonight.  So will you take me there?”

“Sure.”


	11. Chapter 11

Miyo opened the door and as soon as she did, she threw her arms around Kamui and pulled her inside.  “I have been freaking out all day since you called me!”  She pulled her back so they were both sitting on the bed in her small school dorm.  She said, “Your mom threw you out this morning, right?  Why?”

Kamui looked down at her feet and pulled her bag off and then lay back on the bed.  “I talked back.”

“You mean you haven’t before now?  Hell.”  Miyo crossed her legs and turned to her friend.  “What did you say?”

“I told her she was ruining my life and she was selfish.”

“And both are true facts.” Miyo stated.  “Where have you been all day?”

“I was out with Kage-kun.”

Miyo smiled a bit.  She didn’t care for the guy, but since the two of them started spending time together, Kamui had really started coming out of her shell.  She hoped that this episode with her mother wouldn’t ruin all of that progress she was making.   “Okay… so now the big question.  You know you can stay here as long as you need to, but…what are you going to do?”

“I have no idea.”  Kamui confessed.  “I’m going to talk to Daichi-nii.  I know he doesn’t have the money to help me out, but maybe he’ll have an idea of what I can do.”

“Where could you work that you could still afford college?”  Miyo questioned.

“I… don’t know…” Kamui confessed.

Miyo gasped and shouted, “You can’t drop out!”

“I… I may not have a choice.”  Kamui stated.

Miyo frowned more and nodded.  “I’ll help in anyway I can…”

Kamui smiled at her friend, knowing she’d always have her back.  She helped her gather up some more pillows and blankets, crashing on the couch of her large dorm.  Kamui rolled over, facing the back of the couch when she heard her phone go off.  She glanced at the screen and smiled warmly.  It was a goodnight text from her favorite volleyball player.  She text him for a while longer, both of them discussing about how much fun they had today and he practically begged her to let him take her out again.

She agreed without hesitation. 

When she clicked off their message, she looked at the picture on her phone that was of her and him from the photo booth.  She was curled up against him, her face under his chin and a big smile on her lips.  She’d been so genuinely happy today.  It felt almost unreal.  It had been so long since she’d felt any sort of happiness and it had never been as strong as this.

…

The next morning, all the boys were working hard.  They were all going through normal practices,  each of the boys were taking their turns spiking the balls over the net while the setters tossed to them.  On the other side of the court, some were just passing the balls back and forth. 

Kageyama was doing his best to try and pay attention but he kept looking up at the bleachers.  Miyo wasn’t here this morning, but Kamui was sitting by herself about half way, however unlike usual, she had her phone against her ear, tucked between her head and shoulder, a paper in her lap as well as working on her computer all at the same time.  He knew that she always had her nose in technology but he’d never seen her like this before.  And he still didn’t know what had happened.

He gasped when he narrowly missed a ball flying and hitting him in the face.  He ducked out of the way and then apologized.  But Daichi noticed and trotted up to him.  “What’s up Kageyama?  You look distracted.”

Kageyama frowned and stated, “Sorry, Captain.  I just… Kamui’s been acting strange.”

Daichi looked up at his sister in the bleachers and nodded his head.  “I know.  She sent me a message this morning saying she needed to talk about something.   I wonder if something happened with Mom…”

Kageyama’s eyes widened a bit, remembering her crying and then also her saying that they needed to have fun no matter what.  But what exactly had happened?  Before he could think anymore on it, the doors to the gym opened up.  A very excited Miyo came trotting in and was warmly welcomed by Tanaka and Hinata.

Daichi asked, “What’s up, Manager?”

Miyo held up a paper and said, “A practice match against Aobajousai!  That’s what!  One of the four strongest teams in the prefecture!”

Koushi looked a little wide-eyed as he asked, “Seijou is a really strong school, how did you manage to pull this off?”

Miyo tapped her finger to her lips a grumbled a bit.  “Well… they did request a condition.”

“Condition?”  Daichi asked.

“Kageyama has to act as the setter for the entire game.”  She stated.

Everyone looked surprised but Koushi pursed his lips and looked a little more forlorn than the others.  Of course he did.  This would mean that he, a third  year, was getting benched  by a first year.

Tanaka grumbled, “So they’re saying that they’ve got no interest in Karasuno itself, but right now they only want to guard against Kageyama, is that it?  What the hell?  Are they mocking us?  How about I mock them up?”

Miyo waved her hands to try and calm Tanaka down.  “They don’t mean it in a nasty way!”

“That’s fine, isn’t it?  This isn’t a chance you get every day.”  Koushi stated.

Tanaka shouted, “Are you really okay with that, Suga-san!?  You’re Karasuno’s regular setter!”

Koushi smiled and said honestly, “I want to see just how good Hinata and Kageyama’s attack will be against one of the top 4.”

Tanaka and Daichi looked uneasy for a moment but Koushi nodded his head, letting them know that it really was okay.  With a sigh, Daichi turned back to Miyo and asked, “Can you give us the details?”

Miyo nodded with a smile.  “The scheduling is a bit sudden, but the match will be on Tuesday of next week.  It’s because they already have other practice matches booked for the weekend.   Since time is short, it’ll just be a1-set game.  We’ll borrow a school bus to get there.  As for the time…”  As Miyo rambled on, she noticed that Hinata’s gaze was getting more intense by the second.  It looked like the guy was getting super excited to be facing another school in a match.  She had to admit even she was kind of excited to see what would happen.

But her gaze drifted on up the bleacher, to Kamui.  She was flustered and trying to do a million things at a time.  She had to find a job, a place to stay, a way to stay in school and put it all together fast.  She had plenty of time in Miyo’s mind, but if a dorm rep came by and found someone else staying in her place, they could both wind up homeless.

After the morning practice was done and the first school bell rang, Miyo gathered up her stuff, noticing that Daichi was heading up the bleacher to talk to Kamui.  Miyo shot him a concerned look and his responded the same.  When she got to the bottom, she saw that Hinata was waiting at the door for her, but that Kageyama was looking at Daichi and Kamui.  Miyo waved her hand and suggested, “Why don’t you head on to class, it’ll probably be a while.”

“What’s going on?”  Kageyama asked, but Miyo could tell his voice was filled with worry.

Miyo shook her head.  “It’s not my place to say.  She’ll probably tell you once she gets things figured out.”  As she walked to the door she looped her arm around Hinata’s neck playfully and headed to class.  “Now, about all your missed receives…”

Hinata shouted, “I’m sorry!  I’m sorry!”

“We’ll just have to practice even harder through lunch, right?”  She laughed.

…

Daichi sat down next to Kamui who just finished getting off the phone and sighed.  She lowered her head, her elbows on her knees. 

Gruffly, Daichi told her, “You know, I’m glad to see you showing a little more liveliness than you have the last several years, but… now you looked depressed.  I’m not sure which is worse.”

“I’m not, actually.”  Kamui paused and thought over what feeling it was that had her all tied up.  She slowly answered, “I’m… overwhelmed…”

“Talk to me.  Was it mom again?”

Kamui closed her laptop and stated, “You know how terrible she can be.  That’s why you moved out.  I tried to keep my mouth shut and deal with it and have for several years now.  But suddenly… yesterday… I wanted to go out and do something and she wouldn’t let me.  I lost it.  I got so mad…”

“So the two of you had an argument?”  Daichi asked.  “Was it as bad as the one in middle school?”

Kamui sighed.  “It didn’t last as long.  Because she threw me out.”

Daichi’s eyes widened.  “What?”

“All she’d let me have is the computer you bought me and my phone.”  Kamui explained.  “She said everything was hers and to get out of her sight.  So now I’m crashing at Miyo’s place while I try and get a job and my own place.”

“You’re talking weeks to get that set up.”  Daichi stated.  “And you’re not going to be able to get a place with no job history.”

“I have to try!” Kamui told him.  “ Dorm inspections are every couple weeks and I can try my best to not get caught but someone’s going to notice!  If I get Miyo kicked out of her place then she’s in the same boat as I am.”

Daichi sighed and rubbed the back of his head.  “This really is a bad situation, huh?”

“You’re telling me…” Kamui grumbled.

“You can come stay at – “ Daichi started.

“No way in hell.” Kamui snapped.  “You’re already packing four guys in a two bedroom apartment.  I’m not staying with you guys.”

“What other options are there?”  Daichi asked.

“I’ll figure out something.”

“Has Dad cut your school payments yet?”

“Mom said she was going to make sure that he did.  So once I lose my funding, I’ll be ineligible for the dorms as well.”

Daichi sighed heavily.  “Crap…”  He put his hands on his hips as he stood up and told her, “You keep job hunting and I’ll let you know if, or when, I figure something out.”

Kamui nodded her head, packing up her stuff as the final school bell rang.  They were both officially late for class but that was the last of their concerns.  Daichi headed on as she finished gathering up her stuff.  She brushed her hair behind her ear as she trotted out of the gym.  She was making her way across the courtyard when the same bully showed up.

The tall brown haired kid tipped his head and chuckled.  “Look who else is tardy.  Aren’t you one of those super-punctual nuts?  What are you doing out of class little girl?”

“None of your business, I don’t have time for this.”  Kamui hissed, starting to walk on by him.  But as soon as she did, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.  “Let go of me!”  She demanded.

“Since when do you stand up for yourself you little brat?  Why don’t you go back to that quiet little takes a beating like a good girl?”  He demanded.

“Get your hands off of me.”  Kamui demanded, trying to pull away.  She started to raise her own hand when another voice echoed through the courtyard.  It caused the man to release her and he backed up.

“Hey now, you again?”  He hissed.  “Stupid damn body guard.  You’re like a creepy little stalker!”  He turned and hurried on back to his own class.

Kamui rubbed her wrist as she looked over at Kageyama and she said, “It is stalkerish.”

Kageyama made a face.  “Seriously?  That’s what you say to me?”

“But I’m glad.  A fight would  be bad right now.”  Kamui admitted.

Kageyama’s hands were tucked away in his hoodie pockets but his face grew suddenly serious.  He wanted to comment about her being glad about something, but there was more pressing on his mind.  He had waited out in the courtyard until she and her brother finished talking, but now he needed to know.  He needed to help her.  “What happened?  And you can’t lie about it being nothing anymore.”

Kamui lowered her hand and sighed.  She admitted, “It’s a long story.”

“We can just skip first period.”

…

Kageyama and Kamui were both leaning against a wall on the back side of the courtyard where teachers wouldn’t find them and interrupt.  His arm was braced on the wall over her head while his other hand was tucked into his pocket and he was glaring down at her.  Not because he was mad at her, but because of the things she was telling him.  Of what happened.

He gritted his teeth.  “How could she… just do that?”

“It doesn’t matter.  It’s done.  Now I’m in this situation.”  Kamui stated.  “But that’s what happened.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this yesterday?”  Kageyama demanded, but as soon as the words were out his mouth, he knew why.  He sighed.

“I don’t know what is going to happen.”  Kamui stated.  “I wanted to just pretend like it didn’t take place for just a little while longer.  It was a lot of fun.  I knew that if I told you, you’d just be worrying about it, too.  Because that’s the kind of guy you are.”  She stepped closer to him until her head rested in the crook of his neck.  She breathed in deeply and whispered, “Now, no matter what happens from here, I have those wonderful memories to take with me.”

Kageyama didn’t move, but he turned his head to the side of hers and kissed her hair softly.  He whispered against those sable strands, “Nothing is going to change.  They won’t just be memories.  We’ll keep going out.  We’ll figure out a way to keep you in school, to keep you here with us, having fun, learning to be happy.”

“I hope you’re right, Kage-kun.”  Kamui stated into his jacket.  “I really… like it here…”

This caused Kageyama’s breathing to hitch in his throat and he gritted his teeth.  “Here is where you stay.”

…

Miyo giggled at Hinata who was glaring at his homework.  Somewhere along the lines, he’d stopped even paying attention to the teacher.  So Miyo was now working on crafting the perfect paper airplane.  Once the craft was perfectly modified, she gave it a toss and watched as it whacked Hinata in the back of the head.

He made a noise and looked down in surprise and then looked back at her, seeing her giggling.   He gave her a playful glare, but it turned into a smile.  He reached down and took the paper, and threw it back at her.  She caught it and giggled, pointing a head of him.

Hinata turned around to see the teacher glaring and tapping his fingers.  Miyo felt a little guilty as the teacher made him stand up and recite what they were working on over and over again in front of the class.  She thought to herself that she probably shouldn’t tease the poor kid, but he was so cute that she just couldn’t help it.

When he sat back down, he stuck his tongue out at her and she nearly laughed out loud.

…

After school and the evening practice, Kamui and Kageyama were gathering up their stuff when Kageyama noticed Koushi heading for the door.  He quickly trotted after him, saying, “Sugu-san!”  When he got his superiors attention, he stated, “This time, I’m going to be a starting member automatically, but next time, I’ll take a spot as a regular properly, through skill alone.”

Koushi stared at him in shock for several moments before he finally reacted, “…Eh?”

Kageyama twitched, wondering if he’d just done something wrong.

Koushi explained, “W-well… I thought that I would be beneath your notice somehow so that surprised me…”

Kageyama was genuinely confused, “Why would you think that?”

“Because your constitution and ability are both definitely better than mine, right?”

Suddenly Kageyama was glaring as though that statement offended him.  “You can’t fill the gap in experience so easily…”  He straightened up though.  “Also…”  Kageyama got more annoyed as the others in the gym all started walking over, shouting to Koushi.  “Th-things like… having the other players tr… tr… trust and stuff…”

Kamui frowned a bit at how tense Kageyama was getting so she reached over and took his hand, looking up at him.  As soon as she did, it looked like all the tension left his body.  He glanced down at her and smiled, just enough that it turned the corner of his lip up before turning back to Koushi.  “I will not lose!”

Koushi nodded his head.  “I won’t either.”

The others were shouting something about  Daichi offering to buy them all food.  

Koushi continued, “But, y’know, Kageyama…A large number of Kitagawa Daichi’s players have moved on to attend Aobajousai.”

Kageyama looked at him in confusion.  “Well, yeah…”

Koushi waved his hands.  “No, I mean, I thought maybe that would be hard on you.”

“If we were on the same team, I would probably think like that, but since we’re competing, I’m just going to do this while giving it my all.”

“I see.  You’re right.”  Koushi stated with a smile.

Tanaka suddenly jumped forward.  “But are you alright with this, Suga-san?  I mean, I’m not satisfied at all!”

“It’s disappointing, but if they think Kageayam is the same as he was in high school then they’re making a huge mistake.  I want them to see that.”  Koushi told him, patting Kageayama’s shoulder.

This made Kamui smile a bit.  He was right.  Kageyama was a completely different guy.  He was getting better the more time he spends with his teammates.

Daichi chuckled as he walked up with a bag a food for everyone.  “That’s right.  Kageyama alone isn’t what’s frightening.  Let’s show them.  Right Hinata!?”

Hinata had already reached into the bag of food and was gobbling up a pork bun.   They all kind of glared at him for a few seconds while Miyo laughed to herself.  At the same time, Kageyama and Tanaka both reached out and grabbed him, shouting, “What the heck were you doing, eating those before us!?  Quit fooling around!”

As they all headed out of the gym, Daichi stated, “Let’s eat at the shop and discuss, alright?”

They went down to the shop and were let in, against the better judgement of the shop owner who continuously warned for them to not create a ruckus.  Kamui listened in on the conversations that were lead by both Daichi and Miyo, but Kamui was scanning through on her computer.  She found a few more jobs that she could possibly get, but so far nothing was really opening up any doors for her.  No matter what job she found, it just wasn’t enough.

When they were done talking, Kamui and Miyo walked back to their place, being careful to avoid being seen by any teachers or monitors that were still up wandering around.

Kamui stayed up all night typing away on her computer, looking for something to solve her problems.  She ended up passing out on the couch just like that, with her face first down into keyboard, and the mouse still in her hand.

…

The next day, the whole team was gathered for a meeting.  They were sitting on the court, gathered in a circle, sharing and discussing information and ideas.

“ – So these are just the positions for the practice match, but… I think we’ll go with this.”  Daichi was explaining using a white board with magnets that had names written on them.   He pointed to each magnet and explained, “I will be the wing spiker over here on the right.  The middle blocker, front and center will be Hinata.  The left wing spiker will be Tanaka.  Back in the back on the left will be our setter, Kageyama, back and center will be middle blocker, Tsukishima, and our back right wing spiker will be Ennoshita Chikara.”

Tanaka and the others all looked startled by the choice and Daichi explained, “I want to use Kageyama and Hinata as a set.”  These words caused Hinata and Kageyama to glare daggers at each other.  But Daichi carried on, “Tsukishima is one of the few tall players we have.  I want to see how much a fight we can pull off with Seijou as our opponent.”

But Tanaka’s mouth was still gaping.  “You mean, you’re sticking Hinata in a position where height is important?”

Hinata whined, “Middle blocker, isn’t that the same position as that tall jerk, Tsukishima?”

“You got it, Hinata?”  Kageayama asked, turning to the shorter player.  “You’ll be… the absolute strongest decoy!”

“The strongest…!”  Hinata started out by being excited but then it slowly dwindled and his head and shoulders fell.  “…decoy… that’s kinda disappointing.”

Kageyama explained, “You scoring points with a quick set while on the offensive will result in the opponents blockers focusing their attention on you!  When that happens, we’ll make use of the other spikers!  No matter how many huge guys there are – like Tsukishima – It’ll feel great when they get caught up in your movements like idiots, won’t it?”

Now Hinata was getting kind of excited once again.  But Kageyama continued and it ended in him getting stiff and frowning.  “Conversely.”  He explained, “You have to think as if the other attacks will end in failure if you don’t maintain that role.”

“Wait, don’t put so much pressure on him.”  Daichi told him suddenly

Kageyama looked at him questioningly but they saw that Hinata was sitting under his own little dark cloud now.  His face was a stone sculpture of horror and fear.  Miyo patted his back to try and cheer him up.

Kamui started to say something, but her phone suddenly went off, causing everyone to look at her.  With a dark embarrassed blush, she quickly grabbed her phone and excused herself from the gym.

Daichi mumbled, “I hope that’s a good sign.”

Kageyama nodded his head.  “Yeah…”

Tanaka brought them all back to attention by asking, “But how is he gonna pull off the blocking that essential for that position?  No matter how high he can jump, when compared to guys who are naturally tall, it’ll take more time for him to reach his highest point.  Like that, he’ll end up blocking too late.”

Miyo giggled and corrected Tanaka.  “For most blockers, that’s true, but we can change things up a little with Hinata.  Because of Hinata’s jumping ability, we’ll focus more on just touching the ball.  Using his super fast reaction speed, he’ll at least be able to weak the power of the opponents strike.  Then you’ll begin a counterattack!”

Tanaka squealed like a fan girl, “You’re so smart, Miyo-chan!  Marry me!”  

Miyo sighed and blew him off.  “Kamui is the one who put together the possibility of using Hinata that way, I’m just repeating for her.”

“But you look so cute while doing it!” Tanaka squeaked.

Miyo rolled her eyes while Kageyama asked, “Do you really think he can suddenly do something so skillful?”

Hinata glared at him and tried to swing a couple hits on him, but he was easily blocked and ignored.

Daichi informed, “He doesn’t have to.  To start with, at least.  There’s no proof it’ll go smoothly, and the opposing team will probably make fun of us for it though.  But if we give it a try, we’ll know one way or another.  Besides, it’s just a practice match.  Tsukishima and Kageyama are at best the only ones on our team who can match Hinata’s jumping height in an air-based battle.  So…”  Turning to Hinata, he said, “Have confidence in yourself – “

In response to this, Hinata suddenly became stiff as a board and he shouted, “Y-Yes!  I’ll do my best!  This is my first time playing a match in high school with 6 people!  I’ll score tons of points and be a decoy!  And serves!  And blocks!  And quick sets!”

Miyo gently shook his shoulders.  “Hinata-kun…!  Easy!  Snap out of it!  You don’t have to – “

“And everything!”  He squeaked.

Miyo frowned deeply and Koushi shouted, “He’s short-circuited!  Hinata short-circuited!”

…

Kamui looked up when Kageyama stepped out of the gym.  She was stuffing her phone away into the pocket of her skirt.  It was Miyo’s uniform so it was a little bigger around her hips and a little tighter around her chest, but they were pretty close to the same size so it worked.  She asked, “The meeting over already?”

“Yeah.”  Kageyama answered.  “Was that a call on a job?”

“Yeah…” Kamui sighed sadly.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“They said they were looking for someone with experience.”  Kamui explained.  “I told them that the jobs that didn’t need experience did pay enough for me to stay in school.”  She scratched her cheek and said, “Then he told me to go crawl back to mommy and daddy and work my way up the ladder like everyone else.”

Kageyama scowled and an aura of anger radiated off of him.  Kamui fanned her hands.  “Don’t get mad!  I didn’t even know him!”

“Still.”  Kageyama sighed.  He looked away and then asked, “Want to grab a bite to eat?”

“I don’t have – “

“As if I’d let you pay anyway.”  Kageyama scolded her, mussing her hair and prodding her along.  “Come on.  You look like you need your spirits lifted.”

“I don’t have a spirit.  And how can food lift it – Ow!”  Kamui whined when he lightly hit her shoulder and told her to shut up.


	12. Chapter 12

Monday after school, Koushi found Kageyama and Hinata while they were talking with Kamui and Miyo out in front of the school.  Surprised, Kageyama asked him, “Is it really alright for us 1 st  years to use the locker room, too?”

Koushi chuckled.  “Yup. Since its left over from when the team was stronger, we’re still allowed to use the space.”  He motioned for them to follow and added, “Miyo, Kamui, you guys come on too, so you know where it’s at.”

Koushi took them across the campus and to the small room that overlooked the courtyard.  When Koushi opened the door, Tanaka waved excitedly.  “Yooo!”  He rushed up to Miyo and took her hands with a big smile, “Miyoko-chan!  Have you come to spy on us changing?  You naughty girl – “

Miyo laid a punch right into his face that knocked him down and sent him rolling back into the room.  It caused Hinata to laugh hysterically.

The girls walked in and they sat on the far side, looking at the wall while the guys changed and chatted.  Tanaka teased Hinata, “At least tomorrow’s your debut match, ain’t it, Hinata?  Well, just a practice one, though!”

Miyo ordered, “Tanaka stop teasing him!  He’s already worked up enough!”

Tanaka frowned at being scolded.  “But Aobajousai’s gym is freaking huge!  The players and everyone else are all huge, too, so don’t get nervous or anything.”

“Tanaka!” Miyo shouted again.

The door opened and Daichi walked in as well.  “Yo - !”

“There’s no way I’m nervous!”  Hinata screamed suddenly.  “We’re definitely gonna be hugely successful and – “

All of the guys started snickering and Tanaka informed, “Hey Hinata.  That thing you’re putting on is a jacket…”

Miyo couldn’t help glancing over and sighing sadly.  “Poor Hinata…”  She could see that he’d tried slipping his legs through the sleeves of his volleyball jacket instead of putting it over his shoulders like he was supposed to.

But Tanaka kept laughing and teasing, “Is that in fashion!?  No one told me!”

Daichi grumbled and whispered, “Kageyama…Is Hinata going to be okay tomorrow?”

Kageyama was genuinely confused, “What do you mean, okay?”

“Up to this point,” Daichi explained, “Hinata’s game experience has been limited to that match in high school.  Because of that, I think his feelings and anxieties are both incredibly intense.  So he’s extremely tense, isn’t he?  That’s what I’m asking.”

“Anyone would be, wouldn’t they…?”

Suddenly Koushi turned on Kageyama and shouted, “Geez!  You would feel that way!  Don’t take the strain on the timid so lightly!”

Kageyama jumped back in surprise.  “Hah?”

Daichi sighed.  “It seems like whenever I say something, he only feels more pressured.”

Kageyama crossed his arms and stated, “It’s our first game, so there’s really no helping it.  We might as well let him work his way through it.”

“That’s true…”  Daichi stated.

Kamui glanced over, seeing that Miyo had her finger to her chin, thinking.  Kamui calmly asked, “You’re going to try and cheer him up, aren’t you?”

Miyo nodded.  She got up and started to leave when Tanaka was right there waiting for her with a big grin.  He asked, “Were you trying to peek~?”

Miyo put her hand on his face and pushed him back.  “Daichi-nii!  Do something about  this guy!”

Daichi fanned his hand and told him, “Tanaka, stop harassing the girls, you know they’re not interested in you.”

“But I even love getting turned down!”  Tanaka announced.

Miyo made her way out of the room and looked over in time to see Tsukishima shove his shoulder into Hinata and then purred, “Oh!  Sorry about that.  You’re so small that I couldn’t see you!”

A very broken Hinata simply answered, “Ah… kay…”

Miyo frowned as he continued to stumble off, holding his stomach like it hurt.

Koushi glared at Kageyama and ordered, “You can’t say you understand Hinata’s nervousness, so don’t add unnecessary pressure with your usual excessive commentary.”

Kageyama looked surprised and started concentrating really hard.  “Have I ever made excessive commentary…?”

Kamui walked up next to him and stated, “You do all the time.”

“I what!?”  He shouted.

Kamui plainly answered, “You scowl and call him clumsy or a shit or a failure.”

Each statement was like another dart through Kageyama and he gaped in surprise and admitted, “I had no idea.”

Kamui glanced over when Tanaka went running out and screamed at Hinata, “Hinata!  Those are my pants!  Get back up here right now!”  Shortly after him bolting out, they were answered with screams from girls and the embarrassed boy went running back into the locker room.

Daichi walked up to Kamui and asked, “Have you gotten any more calls?”

Kamui shook her head and added, “Dorm inspections are coming up soon, too.”

“What will you do?”  Daichi asked.

“Try to find something to do for the evening I guess.”  Kamui stated.

Daichi frowned and suggested, “I could probably buy you a hotel room for the night or something.”

“If worse comes to worst, then okay.  But I don’t want you to have to waste money.  You’re already tight.”  Kamui stated.

“Says the one who doesn’t even have a roof over her head right now.”  Daichi chuckled, teasing his sister.

“Touche.”

…

Miyo was heading home from school, hoping to  catch up with Hinata and talk to him, but the whole way back, she couldn’t find her favorite little shorty anywhere.  She was about to give up as the sun set when she walked by the playground near the school dorms.  She looked over and saw Hinata was there, bouncing the ball up and down while lying in the grass.  With a wide smile, Miyo trotted over and leaned over where the boy was laying.  She got in the way of his ball and caught it, asking, “What are you doing out here?”

“Our first match is tomorrow…”  Hinata stated, sitting up and looking at her.

“It’s just a practice match, Hina-kun.”  Miyo told him, sitting down next to him.  “You don’t need to get so worked up.”

“But…” Hinata looked down and whispered, “This is different.  In high school, we only had enough people to put on the floor.  If I messed up, no one was going to take me off the court.  But losing to Kageyama took care of that.  But now… now if I messed up, I’ll get switched out and replaced without even getting to finish a match.  I don’t want that.”

“No one does.”  Miyo assured him.  “We are all fighting for our right to be where we think we belong.  Daichi-san placed you on the court to begin with because of your own abilities.  If you just relax then you’ll stay on the court.  Since it’s a practice match, you won’t get taken off.”

“Even still.”  Hinata pressed.  “I know it’s just a practice match, but… what if I do poorly and they throw me off the team?  Or don’t let me play ever again?”

“Then how will you get better?”  Miyo asked.  “Don’t forget I’m a manager and I get a say in what goes on for the matches.  Believe me.  You’re in fine company.  You’re not going to get switched out.”

Hinata slowly smiled and nodded his head.  “Okay.  If you’re sure.”

“Of course I am.”  Miyo reached over and mussed his hair and ordered him, “Trust me.  Just go out there and have fun.  Don’t worry about getting switched.”

Hinata nodded his head.  “Thanks Miyo-chan…”

…

The next day the bus was pulled around to the front of the school but Kamui was on the phone.  Tanaka and the others were making a noise, but Miyo was scolding them for being too loud.  She hurried them onto the bus  except for Kageyama and Daichi who eagerly waited to see what the turnout of the call was.  On the bus, she immediately ordered Tanaka to put his shirt back on and sit down and buckle up.  She sat down next to him and Hinata but she looked out the window at her best friend.  Dorm inspections were coming up.  She wouldn’t kick her out, but they’d both get in a lot of trouble for letting someone board for free.  That and it was costing more to wash her uniforms so much more often and neither of them had the money to buy more for her.

Daichi had offered to rent her a room for the night so she wouldn’t stress out.  But that was a short solution to a much bigger problem.  Plus, she could tell Kamui felt guilty about him dropping money to get her a night at a place.

Kamui hung up her phone and turned around, jumping in surprise to see Kageyama and her brother staring intensely at her.  They both asked, “What did you find out?”

“Well.  I got an interview.”  Kamui confessed.  “But it’s only a temp job.  But if I get on, it’s decent money.  I might be able to swing a place on it… but school is still… out of the question.”

“We’ll take it in steps.”  Daichi stated.  “Maybe you could get a second job.”

Kamui’s grip tightened on the strap of her bag and she mumbled, “If I did… I wouldn’t have time for the volleyball club…”

“We’ll have to make sacrifices.”  Daichi stated with a frown.  “I know that sucks, but I didn’t think you even cared much about volleyball before this year?  And Miyo can keep up on the management stuff.  You won’t ruin us if you have to concentrate on your work…”

Kamui pursed her lips and nodded her head.  “R-right.”  She trotted on past them and onto the bus.  Kageyama frowned and followed her.  They picked seats about halfway down the bus and he took her bag and his, putting it into the storage up top.  When he sat down beside her, he asked, “Will you be okay?”

Kamui barely glanced at him and said, “I want to see all of your matches.”

Kageyama nodded his head, a serious look on his face.  “You will.  I promise.  We’ll figure something else out.   No matte r  what, if you want to come to my matches, then we’ll get you there.”

Kamui nodded her head shyly and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.  “Just focus on nailing that interview, okay?”

Miyo frowned when she looked at Hinata who was sitting in the seat, still holding his stomach.  She gently asked, “Hina-kun… is your stomach still bothering you?”

His eyebrow twitched as he tried to regain his composure.  “N-No… I’m just… fine…”

Miyo was unsure.

Tanaka leaned towards him from the other side and tried, “You want some pocky?  That makes everything better.”

“No… I just didn’t sleep last night.  I’ll be okay…”  Hinata stated.  But when the bus hit a bump, Hinata shook a little bit and started reaching out for the window.  “Please open it.”

Tanaka tried scooting away but before he could, Hinata’s body convulse and he suddenly threw up right into Tanaka’s lap.  A grossed out Tanaka screamed, “Stop the bus!!!!!”

Miyo covered her mouth and frowned.  “Oh, this is bad…”

“I’ll say!” Tanaka screamed.

…

Even after they made it to Aobajousai, Hinata was still apologizing.

Tanaka had changed into his backup pair of shorts and tied his vomit covered pants up in a bag so no one else would have to smell it or see it.  Tanaka told him, “I already told ya, it’s fine!  More importantly, are you alright?”

Miyo was standing next to Hinata, ready to help him if he felt sick again.

Hinata explained, “Yes… I slept on the ride and I was fine when I got off the bus.”

“I see.  Then everything’s good!”

All of the guys were gathering up their stuff and Kageyama was carrying his bag as well as Kamui’s laptop bag.  He gave Tanaka and Hinata a funny look, mumbling something about not thinking this was going to go well.

Tanaka patted Hinata’s shoulder and stated, “I wonder if your hard work’s gonna pay off in today’s game?  How about letting me hit a free ball like during that 3v3 match?”

Hinata stiffened and Miyo cursed, “Tanaka!  Stop pressuring him!”

“I-I’ll do my b-best!  Do my…I need to go to the bathroom…”  Hinata whimpered, holding his stomach and starting for the high school.

Miyo frowned as Tanaka laughed, “First the top, then the bottom, you’re a busy guy!”

“Not funny Tanaka!”

Kageyama glared at Hinata and growled, “Again… So damn pitiful!  I’ll get him motivated with one hit!”

Kamui grabbed Kageyama’s bag and held him in place while Koushi shouted, “What are you saying!?  Are you stupid?  You know that’s effective with some types of people but not others right?”

“We won’t know unless we try!” Kageyama shouted, but he gave no effort to trying to pull away from Kamui.

…

Miyo moaned as she washed her hands and then dried her face off.  “Man… I don’t know what else to do.  Hinata’s been a hassle ever since this match was announced.  I didn’t realize he’d get so… nervous.  I thought he’d be more of the excited kind of guy.”

“We can’t fix a person’s mannerisms.  We just need to make sure he gets to the court.”  Kamui stated, looking at the tips of her hair.

“Speaking of which, you’ve started developing a few tics of your own, you know?”  Miyo teased her best friend as they headed out of the bathroom.  As they did, they could hear two unfamiliar voices talking to each other.

“Ah… you mean Kageyama?”

Kamui and Miyo both paused and looked around the corner in reaction to the voices.  It was a couple Aobajousai players.

“He’s really no big deal, y’know.  It’s true that he stood out, but he basically isn’t suited for team play.  It’s because he’s so egocentric.”

“Huh, well, he ended up going to Karasuno.  I don’t know if they were strong in the past, but… all I honestly remember is that they’ve got a couple beauties acting as their team manager.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yeah!  I’m serious!  I guess one is really tall and cheerful and she can stop a man’s heart with one look.  The other one is supposedly some quiet computer nerd.”

“A computer nerd?”

“I heard something else, too.  They’ve got this crude guy there.  He walked around with this mean look in his eyes and his face makes him look like he’s a real idiot.”

“Hey!”  Miyo shouted suddenly, causing the two boys to jump and look back.  Miyo had her hands perched on her hips and she shouted at them, “You boys sure talk a big game.  Did those rumors tell you that Karasuno’s gonna kick your ass!”

Kamui stepped out and tugged on Miyo’s jersey.  “We shouldn’t start a fight.”

The two guys stood there for a moment before both of their cheeks turned red.  The guy that heard all the rumors stated, “Kindaichi…dude, those are the managers.  They weren’t kidding, they’re totally hot.”

Kindaichi made a face and muttered, “Oikawa is going to have a hayday when he sees these girls.”

The rumor spreading one smiled and waved a hand, “Sorry, I was just repeating what I heard, what are your names?”

Miyo tipped her head down so that her bangs partially cast a shadow over her eyes and she growled darkly, “Fuck.  Off.  You wanna talk bad about our boys and then hit on us, go get your kicks somewhere else.”

“What about the little quiet one?”  The guy asked with a smile.  “Doesn’t she talk?”

Kamui just glared at them but Miyo stepped between her vision and the guys.  “She talks, but she doesn’t want to waste her breath on you.  That’s what I’m here for.  I like to run my mouth and if you’re trying to hit on us then I consider that to be bullying.  And if anyone even  _ thinks _  about bullying Kamui then – “  Miyo looked over as suddenly their whole crew, dressed in their black Karasuno jackets stepped around them.

Tanaka made an ugly face as he growled, “You’re going to mess with all of us.”

The two boys stepped back as suddenly a flock of crows went flying.  After several moments of neither of them saying anything, Tanaka demanded, “Are these two bothering you girls?”

Miyo smiled.  “No.  We were just putting them in their place.  They thought they could talk smack on our boys.”

Tanaka leaned forward, trying to look intimidating and it was supposedly working.  “Let’s take care of them right now.”

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses.  “You really shouldn’t intimidate them like that, Tanaka-san!  Look.  You’ve frightened the little elites.  Pretty pitiful, aren’t you?”

Kindaichi stammered, “We’re not scared or anything.”

Tanaka grinned in a devilish kind of way.  “Yeah, you’re right.  I should only bully them during the match, huh?”

Daichi suddenly came running up behind the crew and shouted, “I only took my eyes off you guys for a second!”  He bowed to the two players from Aobajousai and stated, “I apologize for them…”

The rumor spreading dweeb shook his head.  “That’s… okay…”

Daichi motioned all of them to carry on walking.  The group reluctantly moved on, but while they did, Kindaichi glanced at Kageyama and snidely growled, “Been a while, hasn’t it?  Your highness.”

Kamui’s brow twitched and she looked over at Kindaichi and narrowed her eyes.  The turnip-haired boy continued to taunt, “What sort of dictatorship will you subject them to?  I’m looking forward to it.”

Tanaka clenched his hand into a fist but Daichi put his hand no his shoulder to make him stop.  Kageyama kept walking.  He was strong he could ignore it.  Kamui was not strong.

She could  _ not _  ignore it.

She tapped Kindachi’s shoulder and he suddenly looked forward and smiled at her, “Oh hey there cutie, changed your mind?”

At the same time both Miyo and Daichi shouted, “Kamui, don’t – “

When Kindaichi raised his hand, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder and his elbow, dropping down to one knee and she flipped him easily over her shoulder and onto his back.  She glared down at him before she walked on by like she hadn’t done a thing.

Daichi scolded, “Kamui, you can’t do that!”

But Miyo was laughing out loud, “I didn’t think you were listening to me when I told you about that move.”

“Sorry.  I lost my temper.”  Kamui stated.

Kageyama walked up to her and glared at her before mussing her hair.  “Will you stop doing that when people say those things to me?  It’s fine.”

“Yes.  It’s  _ fine _ .  Right?”

Kageyama’s eyes widened and then softened and he smiled.  “I see…”

Daichi smiled softly, seeing the way his sister looked at the boy and the way he looked back.  With a sigh he ordered, “C’mon, let’s not cause more trouble.”


	13. Chapter 13

Hinata was shaking in his shoes as he looked up at the gym that was revealed to them.  “Huge …  the gymnasium… and the people…!”

Daichi stated, “At Aobajousai, be it offense or defense, the average skill level is high.  It’s as if they’re gathering together guy s  who can become aces, regardless of where they’re from.”

Koushi added, “They’re well-known for the strength of their blocks.”

“What’s with you guys!?”  Tanaka shouted.  “We’ve got Hinata here to mess with their blocking ability, right!?  Well, I know you’re really clumsy, so leave covering to me!  Oh, but just not when you’re hitting your serve!  You’re on your own for that!  Don’t miss!  Because a missed serve is an instant point loss!”  Tanaka then started laughing, “Just kidding, just kidding!  Missing a serve is nothing big!  Don’t you worry about a thing and just – “

Hinata was gone.

Miyo rushed over to Tanaka and hit him upside the head.  “You moron!  You’ve got him stressed out all over again!”

“Fix it Miyo-chan…”  Koushi told her with a whine in his voice.

Miyo sighed and rubbed the back of her head.  “I have tried… but I don’t think I helped…”

While most of the guy spent the last hour before the match training, Hinata was constantly in and out of the bathroom.  Miyo, Daichi, everyone tried giving him advice and helping him calm down, but it just became worse.  The nervous wreck turned into a complete trainwreck.  It was coming down to the wire and Hinata was barely able to function.  He was missing receives and whenever he hit the ball it was shaky didn’t go anywhere.

Kamui was reading a book  on  the bench while Miyo cheered everyone on.  Kamui stated, “This isn’t going to go well.”

“He’ll… get with it…!”  Miyo stated, but her words were unsure.

“Get with what …?” Kamui questioned.

When the whistle blew for warm ups to s top and to head for the line- up, she put her book down and caught Kageyama by the wrist before he headed off.

He turned to her with a question in his eyes and asked, “What’s up, Kamui?”

She smiled just the smallest bit and asked him, “Did you forget already?”  She leaned up on her toes and kissed his lips.  He stiffed at first but then pulled her in close as he kissed her back.  He rested his forehead on top of hers and softly told her, “Well now, there’s no way we can lose now right?”

“You better hope Hinata gets his act together.”  Kamui stated.  “But you… will be fantastic like always.”

He returned t he smile and headed to the line- up.

Kindaichi was staring in awe and he stated, “H-He has a girlfriend…?  A guy like that…?  And a cutie like that?”

The guy next to him who must have been from the same high school stated, “This is fucked up.  Next you’re going to tell me that the short red-haired kid is with the tall blonde hottie.”

As they spoke, Miyo patted Hinata’s shoulders, giving him last minute advice and then wrapping him up in a big hug and sending him to the line - up.

The two boys both stared in shock and mumbled, “What the fuck is going on with that school…”

When Kageyama reached the line- up, Daichi had a cool look on his face, but he was radiating with danger as he said, “You got a lot of nerve, kissing my sister like that right in front of us.”

Kageyama flinched, feeling the danger crawling off of Daichi and slowly creeping towards him.  “I apologize, sir.”

Daichi laughed and patted his back suddenly.  “Don’t get all tense, I’m just messing with you!”  Back to being a bit more serious, he added, “I can see how much she’s changed so quickly since meeting you.  Just make sure you don’t let her get hurt.  I like seeing that smile on her face.”

Kageyama smirked and confidently told him, “Don’t worry, that’s what I’m trying to accomplish.  I want her to smile more and I won’t let her get hurt, I promise.”  He paused and then added, “She told me that seeing our team win made her happy.  So no matter what, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Daichi’s gaze softened and then he smiled.  He nodded his head.  “Sounds like a plan.”

Miyo was shaking her fists in the air and whined, “Hinata still looks so nervous!  I don’t know what else to do.”

“He’s on the court now.  It’s too late.  But soon he won’t have anything left to be nervous about.”

When the call to start the game was made and they all got into position, Kageyama told Hinata, “You understand, right?  It’s the same sort of feelings as the 3v3 match befo – “

“I know!”  Hinata shouted.

Miyo but her head into her hand and shook it.  “He doesn’t know.  He’s totally falling apart.”  She couldn’t help but smile and laugh.  “But he’s so cute.”

“Cute won’t win the match.”  Kamui stated as the match began.

“I know!  I’m not saying for the match it helps!  It’s a bonus for me!”  Miyo teased and then poked her friends shoulder, “Besides, apparently you like your men tall, dark, and scary looking.”

Kamui shied a glare at her friend over the top of her book that caused her skin to crawl with fear.

The ball was coming across the net towards Karasuno’s side and Daichi called the ball.  But a panicking Hinata shot across the court and hit  it  instead, sending it the wrong direction.  Kageyama shouted, “You idiot!  However you look at it, that wasn’t your ball!”

“I’m sorry!” Hinata cried out.

Daichi shouted, “Ennoshita, you recover!”

Just as ordered, he hit the ball back over to Tanaka.

Miyo frowned and stated, “Kageyama is so hard on poor Hinata.  I’m sure that doesn’t help…”

When Tanaka hit the ball, it was immediately batted down by the blockers and Aobajousai scored the first point.  Which of course, pissed Tanaka off.

Daichi patted Hinata’s shoulder, “Hinata, calm down and take a look around you, okay?”

Hinata was trembling.  “I’m really sorry…”

Throughout the game , Hinata was screwing up all over the place.  He was running into everyone and knocking the ball out everywhere.  Miyo jumped up when it looked like Kageyama was going to rip his head off and called a time out.

Daichi tried cooing him once more, but Hinata just shook more.

Kageyama shouted, “You bastard!  Enough already!  Quit with the anxiety!”

Koushi retorted, “He can’t just turn it off at will!”

Hinata whimpered, “Hold on, give me another chance…!”

Kamui reached out and grabbed Kageyama and pulled him back off of Hinata.  He seemed to flinch, as though afraid of getting flipped like Kindaichi.  Kamui told him plainly.  “Yelling solves nothing.  He’s already terrified of you.”

“I’ll give him a reason to be terrified of me!”  Kageyama shouted.

Kamui glared at him similar to how she’d glared at Miyo just a moment ago and he gulped and lowered his head.  “Y-yes maam.”

Daichi laughed.  “I warned you, Kageyama.”

Kageyama clenched his hands into fists.  He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but what was truly infuriating him was that he wanted to win this match for her.  He didn’t want his first good luck kiss to go to waste.  But with Hinata screwing up, their chances of winning were gone.  He looked up to see that the score was 24-13 against them.

Daichi remained cheery.  “Okay!  Let’s steadily take back 1 point at a time.  The next server is – “ Daichi froze in place.

Kageyama made the worst face of morbid defeat.  “Of all people…”

Miyo was smiling but it was a humorless kind of smile.  “It’s… Hinata’s serve…”

They all took their positions and Tanaka leaned over to Kageyama and asked, “Is Hinata okay?  Or did he stop breathing?”

“Even if you ask me, I have no idea!”  Kageyama growled.

Miyo watched as Hinata shuffled with the ball, feeling sick to his stomach.  He was rolling it around in his hands, twitching uncontrollably like some injured puppy and her heart really went out to the guy.  The whistle blew signaling that he had to throw the ball.  So he awkwardly tossed it up into the air and hit it.  But his form was all wrong and it wasn’t going to go over the net.

It did, however, make a loud thwack sound as it slammed right into the back of Kageyama’s head.

Both Miyo and Kamui jumped to their feet and held their breath but for totally different reasons.  The set ended, but Hinata stood there, looking like a ghost of himself.  The terror in his eyes was so exuberant that it looked like the poor kid was already dead.

Kageyama however, looked like he was plotting murder.  His glare was intense and filled with pure blackness as he turned back to Hinata.

Miyo hurriedly shoved Kamui, “Stop him! Stop him please!  He’s going to kill Hinata!”

Everyone on the court was still in a state of shock, watching to see just what was going to happen.  But Daichi, finally reacting, hurried over to Kageyama  and said, “W-wait, Kageyama.  I understand what you’re feeling, but control yourself…!”

Slowly, he whispered, “I haven’t… said anything yet, though…”

The malice in his voice was so intense that even Daichi flinched.

Kamui untensed.  It looked like Kageyama was going to control himself.  But then the scene quickly escalated.  Tanaka started laughing aloud, “Oi!  How’s the back of your head feel, Kageyama!?”

Tsukishima joined in, “Nice headshot!”

Daichi and Koushi both panicked, “I shouldn’t have to tell you not t o  stir things up!”

“Stop it you guys!”

But Hinata’s despair became even more evident.  He became a statue of white as he stood there awaiting punishment.

Kamui stated, “Now I’m starting to worry more about Kageyama, he hasn’t moved.”

Miyo whimpered, “No… but I can feel the rage building from even over here…”

But then Kageyama slowly started to turn and he walked across the court towards Hinata.  In a frantic panic, Hinata backed up, squealing out of fear, “W-w-wait!  You don’t have to say anything!  I get it!”

Kageyama stopped and growled, “Hey you.  Just what are you scared of that has you so nervous?  Is it because the opponents are tall?  Because it’s your first time in a practice match?  The thing you’re scared of to such an extent that you’d drive a serve into the back of my head…”  Kageyama patted the back of his head for emphasis and darkly demanded, “ **_ What is it _ ** ?”

Hinata was completely frozen in fear and he plainly answered, “Nothing in particular comes to mind.”

“Then you don’t have a reason to be nervous anymore, now do you?  You already ended up doing it!  The thing you fear the most!”

Miyo whined next to Kamui.  “He’s more terrifying when he’s not shouting curses.  I think I’d rather him go back to that.  I still can’t tell if Hinata is going to die or not.”

Kamui watched as Kageyama repeatedly hit the back of his own head and she stated, “I think he’s lost it…”

Kageyama suddenly pointed his finger back across the net and screamed, “So now… hurry up and get back to moving the way you normally do, goddammit!”

Hinata flinched this time but then he looked at Kageyama in shock.  “I’m not in trouble for that screwup just now?”

“Hah?”  Kageyama barked, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Miyo glanced about and patted Kamui’s shoulder.  “Okay.  Since Kageyama didn’t kill him, I’m gonna go try talking to him once more.”

Kamui nodded and walked up to Kageyama and handed him his water bottle.  She stated, “You… controlled yourself very well.”

Kageyama grumbled.  “If he wasn’t such a moron, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Kamui pressed her hand on his shoulder and made him lean down as she tenderly touched the back of his head.  “Are you okay, though?  You took a really hard hit…”

Kageyama sighed, immediately forgetting about all the anger he felt towards Hinata and he closed his eyes, “Yes.  I’m fine.”

“You should probably still put ice on it tonight…” Kamui suggested, still gently rubbing the back of his head.

He sighed and stated, “Nah, that’s enough.”

When someone cleared their throat, they both looked over and Kamui immediately withdrew her hand.

Kageyama stiffened, now unsure if he was in trouble or not.  But Daichi ordered strictly with a smile on his face, “Knock it off, lovebirds.”

Kamui blushed and looked away, which is the opposite way that Kageyama looked.

Daichi stated.  “If Hinata can’t get his act together, then this practice is pretty much useless…”

“I know…” Kageyama grumbled.  

They all looked over at Miyo and Hinata.

Hinata was sitting on his knees like a child in trouble and Miyo leaned down to him and asked, “Hinata… do you think you have to be as g ood as everyone else?  Is that  what ’ s got you all bogged down?”

Hinata nodded his head.  “Because… because if I don’t do things properly, I’ll be forced to switch out… I want to stay… in the match… until the end…”

“Come on, Hinata we talked about this!”  Miyo told him.  “You’re in the game aren’t you?  Why would we switch you out now?  Everyone is here to help each other.  It’s all about everyone on this side of the net.  Because we’re all allies, no exceptions.  So what if you’re a little clumsy?  To compensate for that, are all of your teammates!”

Daichi looked surprised when Hinata suddenly jumped to his feet and Miyo smiled.  He nodded his head rapidly and finally looked like he was back to himself.

When Miyo returned to the bench and the boys went back to the game, Kamui stated, “Nice work.”

“He’s so pure hearted.”  Miyo stated.  “I adore him. ”

“That’s obvious.”

The next set began.

The ball flew over to Karasuno’s side and Tsukishima tried to receive it, but it flew off the other way.  Kageyama recovered it while Daichi and Tanaka call ed for it.  But Kageyama sent it f lying straight to Hinata, but his fingers barely brushed the bottom of the ball and it fell on down to the floor and rolled around.

The ball came to a stop and Kamui and Miyo’s feet while everyone looked questioningly at Hinata and Kageyama wondering what had happened.  Miyo frowned and asked, “Did…Hina-kun not jump high enough…?”

Kindaichi teased Hinata through the net, “If you can’t hit properly like just now, the King will lose his temper, y’know!”

Kageyama called Hinata’s name and Kindaichi laughed, “Here it comes…!”

But Kageyama raised his hand and calmly said, “Sorry, that toss was just a bit too high…”

Kindaichi gasped and the guy next to him murmured, “What the hell…?  Kageyama apologized?”

Hinata retorted, “I’m not going to forgive you.”

This resulted in Kageyama punching the back of his head and Hinata crying before the next serve was hit.

Kamui looked up, watching Kageyama with a bit of surprise.  She knew that he’d been changing, that he’d been learning from his time spent with this team – with Hinata.  But it surprised her that he’d  taken a step such as that.  To apologize for an improper throw.  She pressed her book to her lips  and  slowly smiled brightly.

Her hero was slowly becoming more heroic.

When the ball came back to their side again, Ennoshita sent the ball to Kageyama.  As the ball came down, both Hinata and Tanaka rushed to the net while the blockers tried to figure out who to guard.  This time though, Kageyama sent the ball like a dart straight to Hinata’s hand.  Just like in their initiation match, the ball was rolling around on the other side of the court before anyone even realized what happened.

Upon landing, the two nerds cheered about their awesome hit.

The other team was in disarray, “What the heck was that just now!?”

Daichi waved the team over to join a huddle and all of them circled around and cheered.  But Tsukishima seemed uneasy and wanted out but he was forced to stay in.

Hinata gasped, “J-Just like a team!”

Tanaka corrected him, “Not just like.  We are a team.”

Kageyama turned to the rest of the team and stated, “Oi.  Now that Hinata’s gotten moving again, let’s mount our counter attack.”

The game continued.  When the ball flew over to Karasuno, Aobajousai thought they were starting to get the plan and were covering Hinata to stop the attacks.  Kindaichi shouted, “If I know it’s coming, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”

Hinata yelled back, “What’d you say!?”

Kageyama casually passed it to Tanaka who screamed, “I’ve been waiting for this!!”  His spike slammed down on the other side of the court.  Hinata whined about the ball not going to him while Tanaka taunted, “What’d you think of that turnip-head!?  I told you to just watch during the match, didn’t I!?”

Hinata was blushing and whining, “How embarrassing!  I got caught up thinking about hitting it and ended up shouting and everything!”

“It’s fine.”  Kageyama told him.  “Plus, because you’re jumping seriously, the opposing blockers are lured in and jump as well.”

Hinata, like a little puppy asked, “So that’s how it is?”

“That’s how it is.”

During a timeout that the other team called, Hinata was staring at his hand and Miyo asked him, “What’s wrong?”

“The first time I was in a match, my team was a real mishmash, so I thought I had to do everything properly on my own.  But now, because I’m surrounded by players who are so much better than I am, all I can do is trust in them and jump.”

Miyo nodded and smiled.  “You don’t have to exceed them.  Just be yourself.”

Hinata grinned that big cheesy smile.  “Your advice really helped.  Thank you for sticking by me, Miyo-chan.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”  He then rushed over to where Kageyama and Tanaka were talking, but Kageyama tossed a towel at him that hit him right in the face.

The timeout ended and the match continued once more.

At one point, Kageyama sent the ball to Tsukishima who spiked it but afterward he just stared at his hand.  Everyone congratulated him but he told Kageyama, “Your toss is too precise.  It creeps me out.”

“Hah!?” Kageyama snarled.

The game raged on.  Hinata’s face was bright and excited every time he made a hit.  He was playing at full strength and playing his role because he had a great team around him.  Miyo was the perfect manager.  All week she had trained him on his weak points and he could feel himself getting better.  He couldn’t become perfect overnight, but he knew he’d eventually overcome his weaknesses.  But she kept his chin up, kept him working, kept him moving, kept him looking up.  He was lucky to have such a fantastic team like this.

Between serves, Kageyama kept glancing over at the bench.  Each time he did, his face flushed just the slightest bit.  Kamui was watching with an excited sparkle behind those glasses.  She had her book out but each time he saw her she wasn’t reading.  Was she watching him?  Was she enjoying herself?  Was she happy?

Each time he hit the ball all he could think about was winning so that he could see that beautiful smile.  So that in the end she would tell him how proud she was of him and how happy she was to watch him play.

That’s all he cared about.  That’s why he had to win, no matter what.

Miyo giggled and sighed, “Oi, the troublesome two are up front now.”

Kamui glanced up and saw that Tsukishima and Kageyama were up at the net, but they were glaring at each other.

Tsukki teased, “Oh, so blocking is also one of your strong points?  Don’t overexert yourself too much.  You are only 180 cm after all…”

“Bastard, make sure you don’t get blown away by the wind.  Being all gangly like that.”  Kageyama retorted.

Daichi warned from behind them, “Don’t fight, okay?”

But instead of stopping, they started shoving their elbows against one another, causing Tanaka to shout, “The opponent’s on the other side of the net, dammit!”

They were still shoving as they jumped and blocked the ball, but it bounced off both of their hands to score the point.  When Ennoshita complimented the block, both guys responded and then started arguing about who was the one that actually stopped the ball.  Daichi screamed at them to knock it off.  But when Kageyama returned to position, Hinata was watching him with a big grin.  That pissed him off too and he grabbed his collar.

“What are you grinning like an idiot for!?” Kageyama demanded.

Daichi shouted, “Kageyama knock it off!”

The second set came to a close when  Hinata scored another spike, taking the second set for a win.  Now they were tied and the third set would determine the winner.

Tanaka shouted, “Alright!  If we going like this, the final set is as good as ours!”

Miyo took off to go talk to Hinata but Kamui looked up as Kageyama trotted right up to her, seeing that she had a towel and his water bottle.  With a smile , she handed the water bottle t o him and then placed the towel up around his shoulders.  She told him, “You’re doing good out there, Kage-kun…”

Kageyama smiled softly after taking a few big gulps.  He asked, “Are you enjoying the match?”

Kamui stared at him for several moments and he thought for sure she was going to use her typical line that a match can’t invoke emotions like that, but instead she nodded her head.  “I really enjoy watching you set the ball.”  Her cheeks turned really dark red at this and she looked away.

His gaze warmed and he reached out, touching her cheek softly.  It caused her to lean into his hand in the cutest way, making his heart do a strange stumble in his chest.   “Kamui…”  He leaned down in an attempt to kiss her plush lips again, but a cleared throat stopped him in his tracks.

He immediately straightened up and jumped back, bowing to the captain.  “S-sorry sir!”

Daichi smiled, but once again, it was a threatening kind of smile.  “Maybe you should come back over with the team Kageyama and keep yourself out of trouble.”

“Y-yessir.”  Kageyama gave in and followed the captain back over.

Kamui smiled, her cheek warm from where he’d touched her.

Upon rejoining the team, Kageyama listened to Tanaka and Hinata cheer about their soon to be victory and Kageyama corrected, “Don’t let your guard down.  I’m not entirely sure, but… the setter over there probably isn’t their regular.”

The set was just about to begin when suddenly the sound of girls screaming erupted from behind Kamui and Miyo in the bleachers.  They looked over at all the girls and then followed their gaze down to a boy that had just shown up and was now talking to the coach.

The new guy and the coach were discussing something but in the middle he would smile up at the screaming girls and it would just make them louder.

Tanaka growled and demanded, “Kageyama… who would that pretty boy be?  He is making me very irritated.”

Kageyama answered, “Oikawa-san.  He’s a very offensive-based setter whose attacks I believe to be top-notch among his team.  Also he has an incredibly bad personality.”

“Enough to make even you say that!?”  Hinata gasped.

“Probably even worse than Tsukishima!  That’s horrible!”   Tanaka stated and then glance at Kageyama questioningly.  “If you know him, then that means he went to Kitagawa Daichi, right?”

“Yeah.”  Kageyama agreed.  “He was my senpai in high school.”

“Your senpai?”  Hinata repeated, “Then that would make him the Great King!?”

Miyo rubbed the back of her head and stated, “I feel like Hina-kun is overthinking that a bit much.”

From the other side of the net, the new guy, Oikawa, waved his hand at Kageyama.  “Hey there!  Long time no see, Tobio-chan!  You’ve really grown!”

Kageyama grumbled to the others, “I… learned to serve and block from watching him.  He’s a force to be reckoned with.”

“How is the ‘king’ doing?”  Oikawa asked with a big smile.

Kageyama turned his head away and told them, “But right now, concentrate on the match.  We’re definitely going to win the final set.”  

“Right!” Hinata agreed.

Kageyama shouted at Tanaka, “Quit it with the intimidating face!”

The coach ordered Oikawa to go warm up but to be careful, but the final set began.  Kamui stated , “It’s concerning that a player is good enough to garner Kage-kun’s concern.”

Miyo pursed her lips.  The game continued, quickly picking up to 14-15.

The girls behind them were still screaming about Oikawa and it was really getting on everyone’s nerves, but no one more than Tanaka.  However it helped urge the team on to score more and more.  Their pace escalated and they were very quickly at their match point.

Aobajousai scored another point off Tsukishima’s bad receive.

It was looking to be going good for Karasuno when Oikawa trotted back towards the court.  After a quick exchange with the coach, he subbed in  and Kunimi left the court.

Miyo leaned forward and stated, “Now it’s time to see what he’s really made out of.  Maybe he’s just a pinch server.”

While all the players were getting prepared on the court, Oikawa bounced the ball a few times as he stated, “No matter how strong your offensive power, if your attack doesn’t connect, there’s no meaning in it, is there?”  Catching the ball, he pointed at Tsukishima who looked questioningly at him.

Miyo and Kamui both straightened up as Oikawa threw the ball into the air and then began to take a running leap.  His palm nailed into  the ball and it flew easily right across the court, hitting Tsukishima’s forearms and then flying off to the side, hitting the bleachers on the other side.

Oikawa stated, “Yup.  Just as I thought, I noticed it while I was stretching, but, you #6 and  you #5 are bad at receiving, right?  You’re 1 st  years?”  He picked up the ball again.  “Here’s another one, okay?”  Just like before, he hit the ball with such ferocious power that it could be felt through the entire gym.

Once again, Oikawa scored another point of Tsukishima’s failed receive.

Tsukishima gritted his teeth in anger, but H inata looked back at him with a  frown on his lips.  He didn’t care for Tsukishima, but it was pissing him off how this new captain was taking advantage of his inability to return the ball.  Hinata clenched his hands into fists and started shouting, “Oi!  Great King!  Aim at me too!  I’m here!”

Tsukishima snapped, “Don’t shout like that!  It’s unsightly!”

Hin ata demanded, “What’d you say?”  He glared at Tsukishima who was trying to act tough.  He was still annoying, even at a time like this.  He turned on Tsukki and shouted, “Volleyball is all about everyone on this side of the net!  Because we’re all allies, no exceptions!”

Miyo huffed but she smiled a bit.  He took the words right out of her mouth – literally.  She noticed that Daichi shifted around their positions quite a bit so that he was in the center and could cover for most of the receiving area, so their chances of hitting the ball back were higher.  But she wondered if that was enough.  She glanced at Kamui to see if she had any advice, but she was on her feet.  Behind her glasses, her crimson eyes were flashing in the light.  Miyo smirked.  Her gaze was focused on Oikawa.  Knowing her, she probably already understood his weakness, the path of his serves and was devising a way to counter attack for the next time they met.  If this wasn’t the very end of a match that had little meaning, she’d call a time out and let Kamui set them up.  But for now, she’d let the girl analyze all that she could.

Oikawa laughed and bounced the ball a few times.  He stated, “Smart move, but you know that you can’t defend everything.”  Once again the ball sailed over the net and still flew right at Tsukishima.

Miyo gaped, “It’s impressive.  Even though Tsukishima’s in the very far corner that he can still narrow in on him and hit the ball dead on.”

Kamui quickly corrected her, “Because of placing accuracy over power, the ball is weaker.  Tsukishima should be able to get it into the air.”

Miyo shouted, “Nice Receive Tsukishima!  You can do it!”

Kamui narrowed her eyes as soon as it came towards Tsukishima’s arms.  She growled, “It’s coming in too fast, he’s going to hand it right back to them.  It’ll be Aobajousai’s chance ball.”

Oikawa trotted up as the ball came back to him after Tsukishima hit it.  He bounced it back up towards the team’s setter.  “See, it’s a yummy y u mmy free ball.  Make sure you hit it, guys!”

The ball made it to Kindaichi to try and score a point, but when he looked up as he hit the ball, he was shocked to see a shadow looming in front of him.  Hinata had reacted incredibly quickly and was now in front of  him.  When he spiked the ball, it bounced off Hinata’s hand and back into the air.

When they landed, Kindaichi shouted, “Damn you!  This time I’m gonna knock it down!”

Kageyama caught the ball and took one look at Hinata who had already reached the other side of the court, Kindaichi unable to keep up.  Kageyama set, using the god-like quick, right to Hinata’s hands.  He spiked it right past Oikawa to end the final set.

Karasuno had won the practice match.


	14. Chapter 14

Both teams lined up  and thanked the other for a good match.  And a good match it was.

Daichi straightened up and stated, “Well that wasn’t too bad.  We hung on by the skin of our teeth.”

Kouchi frowned and mentioned, “But what if that Oikawa had been playing from the beginning?  He was only in it for a few minutes and nearly turned the tables on us.”

“It should be fine.  We won’t struggle with it as much next time.”  Daichi informed.

“What do you mean?” Yamaguchi questioned.

“You forget we have another secret weapon.”  Daichi nodded his head towards Kamui as she and Miyo walked up.  He asked his sister, “Did you get a good enough analysis of his serve?”

Kamui dipped her head once.

“Think we can beat it?”  He asked.

Kamui dipped her head again.

“Good.”

Miyo wrapped her arms around Hinata and squeaked, “You did awesome!  I told you, you had nothing to worry about you silly little goof!”

The team dispersed, getting their drinks and cooling down.  Like usual, Kamui followed after Kageyama and she casually stated, “Your senpai was good.  No wonder you’ve gotten so good.”

Kageyama sighed and glared across the court at Oikawa.  He grumbled, “Yeah I guess.”

Kamui asked, “You don’t like him.”

“No, not really.  Like I said, he has a bad personality.”  Kageyama growled before taking a long drink of water.

Kamui stated simply.  “You won the match.”

Kageyama looked at her for a long moment and then smirked.  “Yeah.  Guess your good luck kiss worked.”

Kamui glared and told him simply, “The kiss didn’t do anything, you just – “

He leaned down to her suddenly and kissed her forehead, telling her, “Just let me believe what I want, okay?”

Her face heated up.

Daichi suddenly appeared behind them and ordered, “Kageyama, I won’t warn you again.”

He suddenly straightened up and stiffly apologized, “S-sorry Captain!”

…

When everything was cleaned up and they were heading out, Kageyama paused as he walked by his old teammate.  Kindaichi spent a long moment, pretending not to notice him.  Kamui stood close to Kageyama, knowing that he could fight his own battles, but if the kid tried to start something again, she’d knock him out next time.

Kindaichi looked at her curiously, causing Kageyama to take a step in front of her.  Kindaichi stated suddenly, “Guess I know why she flipped me now.  To think a guy like you could get a girlfriend.”

Both of their cheeks flushed but they didn’t say anything for the longest time.   Finally, Kageyama started to open his mouth, but Kindaichi suddenly shouted, “Don’t apologize!”

Kageyama stiffened up in surprise.

“I won’t apologize either!”  Kindaichi stated and he was answered with a stiff ‘right’ from Kageyama.  Kindaichi carried on, “To me, you are still an oppressive King and an irritating guy, and also the opponent I want to beat above all else.”

“Right.”

“So don’t apologize!”

“Right.”

“I’m not gonna reconcile or anything like that!  I didn’t really get along with you from the start!  So it’s not like we were friends or anything!”

“Right.”

“And that’s why, next time, we will definitely win!”

Kageyama narrowed his eyes and told him coolly.  “In the next competition as well, we are the ones who will win.”  With that, he glared more, grabbing Kamui’s hand and towing her along, away from the guy.  As they left, though, she distinctly heard him say, ‘that guy… said we instead of I’.

Kamui trotted to keep up with Kageyama and she said, “That was cool.”

Kageyama, scoffed, “Of course it was!”

“Was he right?”

“Huh?”  Kageyama looked back at her over his shoulder.

“He called me your girlfriend.”

Kageyama blushed darkly and grumbled, “I don’t know.  You tell me.”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.”

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”  Kageyama asked the question, but Kamui just stared at him blankly like he was asking  it  in another language.   With a grumble, he turned away and started walking off towards the locker rooms so they could change out of their sweaty jerseys.  He kept expecting her to say something typical:  I’m indifferent to the idea.  Or, why would I want that?  Or something else that was totally callous and unfeeling and he knew would piss him off.

“Yes.”

Kageyama’s eyes widened and he turned to look back at her in complete shock.  He even dropped her hand.  “What did you say?”

Kamui looked away and her face grew more red as she became flustered.  “I-I mean… we kind of… already are, right?  We kiss and stuff… and you’re always protecting me.  When I think of being in a relationship, I mean, that’s what I imagine so… and… well… I kind of… enjoy it… so if… given the option.  I mean, if it  _ is _  an option… I would… like that…”

Kageyama put his hands on her shoulders.  “You  _ want _  to be my girlfriend?”

“Y-Yes…” Kamui mumbled.

With a malicious looking grin he taunted, “Say it again or I won’t believe you.”

“No!” She hissed.

“Say it!”  He ordered.

Kamui put her hands up into his face and tried pushing him off as she squeaked, “Not if you’re making that creepy looking face at me!”

“It’s not creepy, it’s just my face!”

“But you’re smiling!  It’s freaking me out!”

“I smile all the time, dammit!”

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do!”

“Kageyama.”

As soon as Kageyama felt the radiating evil reaching out from Daichi, he quickly released Kamui and apologized profusely.  He put his hands at his sides like a good boy.  Still glare/smiling, Daichi walked on.

Kageyama let out a gasp of air.  “I’m going to have a heart attack.”

“It’s improbable for you to have a heart attack from someone looking at you.”  Kamui stated.

Kageyama suddenly put her in a headlock, “You’re going to be the death of me, get it!?”

“That would only be logical if – “

“Don’t even!!” Kageyama screamed.

As Kageyama led her on, Kamui asked, “So… does this mean I’m your girlfriend…?”

He scowled at her and then mussed her hair with his free hand.  “Since when do you ask stupid obvious questions?”  He touched his forehead to hers and said, “Of course you are.”

…

They were all changed and heading back to the bus as Daichi explained, “No matter how excellent Hinata and Kageyama’s combo may be, frankly, when it comes to strengthening the perimeter, we’re still weak.  It’s frustrating though…”

“As expected of the captain!  You really understand the situation, huh?”

They all looked up to see Oikawa was leaning against the wall they were about to walk by to reach the bus.  He stepped forward with a smile.  “Oh, so the pretty girls were with you.”  He noticed how Miyo was playfully leaning on Hinata’s head and Kamui was attached to Kageyama’s arm.  He purred, “I’m a bit jealous…”

Immediately all the boys on the team stepped forward protectively.  Tanaka made an ugly face and said, “What the hell.  You want a piece of this?”  From behind him,  Hinata was chirping in taunts as well, but he was clearly not wanting to get involved.

Playfully, Oikawa said, “Don’t be so hard on me, I just came to say hello.”  Turning to Hinata, he stated, “Little guy, that one-touch and broad attack at the end were amazing!  Today I was only able to join in for a the last few points, but next time, let’s compete at full throttle from the start, okay?  Oh and be sure to improve your serve, too.  Your attacks were certainly incredible, but if all your early receives are slow and hesitant, you’ll reach your limit sooner, won’t you?   I’m not the only one who hits an intensely strong serve.  The interhigh preliminaries are coming up.  Will you really be able to survive them?  Seeing as how I want to crush my useless underling in a regular game, fair and square, as a setter.”  He pointed at Kageyama.

Kamui tensed and started to step forward but Kageyama pulled her right back and growled, “Not this time.”

But Hinata shouted, “If it’s about receives, we’ll do special training!”

“Receiving isn’t something you can improve in a short span of time you know?  But I think your captain knows that well enough.”  He waved his hand and started walking off.  “Oh but do keep bringing your cutie girls with you.  They’re nice to look at.”

Both Hinata and Kageyama grumbled at this comment.

“I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you’ll do…” Oikawa stated before trotting back inside.

Kageyama quickly informed, “D-don’t let him get to you.  He just likes to get people riled up.”

But Daichi started laughing before he explained, “It’s true that there’s no time left until the interhigh preliminaries.  However, it’s about time he returned…  Karasuno’s…Guardian Deity…”

Hinata repeated his words while Kageyama asked, “So there are other members after all?”

With an extremely morbid expression, Koushi stated, “Yeah, there are…”

…

On the bus ride back, Kamui had set Kageyama up with a pillow behind his head.  Though he insisted that he was fine and the serve didn’t  hurt  him, she still wanted to make sure that he took it easy.  But by the time they were halfway back, almost all the guys were snoozing in their seats.  Kamui pulled out her laptop and was looking for other job opportunities.  Her interview for the other job was tomorrow afternoon, but Daichi was right – there was no way she was going to be able to afford anything with just the one job.  She would try to make it to the games and matches she could, but staying in school and having a place to live was her priority right now.

When the bus took a turn, Kageyama shifted and his head came to rest on top of hers.  She blushed softly when she felt his warm breath distilling her bangs and it caused a strange fluttery feeling to wiggle through her chest.  It tickled her fingers and toes and caused a stupid smile on her lips.  

Well… having a place to live was supposed to be her priority.  But for some reason, her thoughts were full of this dork right here.  When he shifted a bit and mumbled something about the brightness of her computer, she growled, “I’m not a headrest.”

“But you’re just the right height.”  Kageyama teased.

Kamui reached up and pushed on his face until he cried for mercy. He sat up a bit, but was still leaned towards her and asked, “But seriously, I thought you had an interview.  Are you getting a second job after all?”

“I… need to.”  Kamui confessed.  “But maybe if I give them the volleyball schedule I can still get it off.  I just… might need to drop down to part time for school…”

Kageyama nuzzled his nose into her hair and whispered, “If that’s what you want.  Will that leave you enough time to study and do other things?”

Her hands clenched and she whispered, “Making it to your matches is all I need to be able to do… the rest is fine.”

He sighed softly.  “Don’t stress… Kamui…”

…

It was late that night by the time they had all finished up their cleaning duties in the gym.  As common courtesy, they thanked the captain in a line-up, but Hinata was asleep standing up.  Which pissed Kageyama off and had him shaking Hinata’s shoulder.

Once they were all dismissed,  Daichi glanced at Miyo, noticing she was in deep thought.  He asked her, “What’s got you so focused?”

Miyo explained, “Right now… our attacks have been successful somehow thanks to Hinata and Kageyama’s abilities, but… if Hinata starts to get caught up in blocking and our receives are thrown into disarray like today’s, I don’t know what we can do.”

Daichi nodded.  “I know… I don’t know that I would be able to direct them properly…”

“I can train them and exercise them and all that, but… I’m afraid I’m not the right person to make calls and plans either.”  Miyo agreed.

Both of them looked over their shoulder at Kamui who was typing away on her laptop once again.  They both thought that girl would be the one to make the right calls and plans, but…

Miyo sighed, “Kamui has enough on her plate right now.  But… I had an idea.  We need the help and I know of a person who might be able to do just that.”

Daichi looked a little surprised.   “You have a coach in mind?”

Miyo nodded and explained, “Nothing is set in stone, so we’ll just have to see.”

Daichi nodded his head and told her, “Just let me know if you need anything.”

…

Miyo was walking with Hinata as they headed back to his place  the next day .  The excited boy was rambling about how great it was to hit all of those tosses and do so good in the match.  He was so happy that Miyo’s heart really went out to him.  When he reached his house, his little sister came running out, complaining about how loud he was.

Miyo gasped in surprise and shouted, “She looks just like you, Hina-kun!”

Hinata chuckled at Miyo and stated, “Yeah, we get that a lot.”

The little girl smiled at Miyo and waved, “You’re one of Nii-san’s friends?”

Miyo nodded her head with a big smile.  “I sure am.  Your big brother is a great volleyball player, did you know that?”

“Yeah!  I see him practice all the time.  But he snores really loud and is annoying otherwise.”

Hinata grumbled at his sister’s confession.  “You didn’t have to say that.”

Hinata’s mom stepped out of the door a moment later, looking at Miyo and waved, “Well hi there.  You must be Miyoko.  Hinata talks about you all the time.”

Hinata’s cheeks turned red and he shouted, “Mom!  Shut up!”

She smiled and asked Miyo, “We’re just about finished cooking dinner, would you like to stay and eat?”

Miyo waved her hands and quickly stated, “I-I don’t want to impose.  But thank you very much.”

“No imposition.”  She stated adamantly.  “ These boys eat so much I have to cook a lot, but then they won’t reheat left overs so they go to waste.  Please join us.  You’d be doing me a favor.”

Hinata offered Miyo a smile, hoping she’d accept it.

Miyo’s heart fluttered in her chest as she looked at the kind mother, innocent little sister, and pure older brother.  It had been so long since Miyo had gotten a taste of family life.  Since she had been a part of something like this.  Swallowing hard, she pulled out her phone and told Kamui she’d be eating with Hinata tonight and she’d be back later.

** Things were beginning to change… **

Kamui put her phone away and stated, “Miyo’s eating elsewhere tonight.”

“Wanna grab a bite?”  Kageyama asked as he walked alongside of her.  Both of his hands were in his pockets, but Kamui’s arm was linked through his.

Kamui waved her hand.  “O-oh that’s not necessary.  There’s leftovers and things at my place.  But thanks…”

Kageyama grumbled and his scowl pointed ahead of them.  Kamui watched him for the longest time, wondering what he was upset about.  Did it make such a big deal to him to get her dinner?  She started to ask him why he was upset all of a sudden when he turned sharply to her.

His face was dark red as he nervously asked, “If Miyo’s gone anyway… I was…trying to think of a way… of asking if you wanted to come hang out at my place… a while… I’d… buy dinner… whatever you wanted.”

Kamui smiled as well and stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling her head into his chest.  “I’d…really like that…”

Kageyama tipped his head back and let out a big breath of relief, almost as though the question had been clogging his throat and he was just now able to function again.

** Everyone goes through their fair share of pain and hardships.  It’s a challenge that is just a simple part of life.  Difficulties are there for each person to overcome in their own way. **

Miyo laughed at the table with Hinata’s family as the two siblings got into a minor squabble, resulting in food being tossed across the table and their mother scolding them.

She had missed that.  The sound of a mother yelling at her, of a father trying to play the role of head of house, telling his children to listen to their mother.  She’d missed sitting at a table full of people and being thankful for every blessing.  She’d missed fights with her sister.  She missed that.

She missed this.

** It isn’t easy to keep fighting.  Especially when the mud you traverse through grows thicker ** **  every day.  Some of us hide our pain behind fake smiles and pretend that the struggle doesn’t take every ounce of our strength.  Others let themselves be broken over and over until they can’t take it anymore and then finally every emotion they held back comes pouring out in a flood. **

Kageyama was leaned back on the pillows of his bed, looking up at the ceiling.  Kamui was laying across him, her head buried in his jacket as she cried.  The phone she wished she didn’t have on the floor with a message on the screen.  He continued to run his hand through her hair and try to calm her down, but he knew there was nothing he could do but be there for her.  He felt a little guilty.  Because he’d pushed so hard for her to try to start feeling, she was suffering now.  She was letting these things affect her.

She was vulnerable and it was up to him to protect her.

** The way we deal with these different things makes us all unique.  We try to put ourselves back together the best we can.  Time can heal a lot but the memories never completely go away.  It’s never completely okay again.  But we take each hurtle in stride.  Step by step we accept our scars, our pains and we become who we are.  We heal ourselves and allow that happiness to take a hold of us once more.  The sadness and hurt isn’t gone, but it’s hidden; buried. **

“Thanks so much for joining us!  It made mom really happy.”  Hinata stated, walking Miyo to the end of the yard.

Miyo smiled at her favorite volleyball player and her gaze softened.  “It… made me really happy, too.”  Her gaze was distant, remembering her mother’s meatloaf.  She had hated meatloaf before that but when her mother insisted that she try it, she refused to admit that it was really good and she liked it.  Now, it was one of the things she missed the most.

When Hinata saw the look of sadness in Miyo’s eyes, he said, “You can have dinner with us every night if you want.  If it helps.”

** We slowly become happier… **

Miyo’s gaze brightened and her eyes burned with the threat of happy tears.  “I… would really, really like that… I… miss having a family.  I – “

“Well… you can be a part of this one.”  Hinata told her.  He gasped when Miyo suddenly threw her arms around him and gave him the tightest hug she’d ever given anyone.  He squeaked but wrapped his arms around her in return.

Miyo cried into his hair, shaking her head.  “You’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever met, Hinata.”

Hinata stepped back and looked up at her.  He frowned at the sight of her tears, but the smile that was on her lips made him realize that they were good tears, not bad ones.  He wanted to say something more, but he lost his train of thought when she touched his cheek and kissed him deeply.  The sight of her so happy had his heart racing, but now it was going absolutely out of control in his chest.  He felt dizzy.  He closed his eyes and kissed her slowly back, afraid that if he didn’t, he’d miss his chance for ever.

Miyo pulled back and whispered, “I’m sorry that was so sudden… but I just… I’m so happy right now.”

“I-I-I’ve never been kissed by a girl…”  Hinata swallowed hard and then added, “I’m glad my first time was with you, though.”

Miyo’s face was red hot and she nodded her head.  “But… it’s dark… I need to head back now… ”

“Be safe.”  Hinata told her with a smile.

** We do better than we did before. **

For some reason, in the wake of her tears, Kamui started confessing every feeling she’d ever had with her family, friends, him, everything.  Kageaya rolled on his side, holding her as she rambled and listening to every word.  Not just the melody of her voice, but almost the palpable feeling of her opening up her heart had him determined to help her in anyway he could.  His arms were tight around her shoulders and waist and her head was tucked under his chin against his collarbone.

“But it’s okay…”  She whispered.  “You’ve taught me it’s okay…”

“None of it’s okay.”  He stated.  “None of it is fair.  I’m sorry that I selfishly pushed you into this world of terror your family has put you through.  I – “

“You said that there are some things worth hurting for.”  Kamui told him.  “The feelings I get when I’m with you… they’re worth hurting for.  I don’t regret it.  I want to keep feeling things and keep learning more… with you.”

Kageyama nodded his head and admitted, “I’m not the best guy… to learn from.  I’m constantly getting mad and I don’t know a lot, but – “

“I want it to be you…” Kamui corrected him.  “Only you.”

Kageyama ran his hand through her hair as they lay there in silence for a while.  Slowly, he heard a gentle whisper against his chest, “I don’t want to leave…”

His grip on her tightened and he told her with finality.  “I’m not letting you go.”

“Good…” Kamui whispered, closing her eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

After practice the next day, everyone was doing their part to clean things up.   Miyo was helping to put things away in the storage closet when she ran across a broom that had been snapped in half.  She picked up both pieces and asked, “What with this?  It’s broken so can I just throw it away?”

Koushi gasped and trotted up to her, saying, “You don’t need to, honestly.  It’s fine.  If we repair it, we can use it again.”

“Okay…”  Miyo stated, slightly confused.  She walked back out into the gym, seeing Kamui sitting in the bleachers on her computer once again.  Glaring at her friend, she marched up and poked her with her foot.  “Hey… what the hell was up with last night?  You weren’t at the dorm.  I tried calling you.”

“Sorry… I was… busy.”  Kamui stated.

“With what?  How did your interview go?”  Miyo asked.

“I didn’t get it.”  Kamui stated.  “They said I didn’t have what they were looking for.”

Miyo’s gaze softened.  “Kamui…”

She picked up her stuff and put it away.  “It’s fine.  I don’t need pity.”

Miyo tensed, “I wasn’t giving you pity!  I’ll give you a knuckle sandwich if you prefer!”

“That’s okay, I’m not hungry.”

“No, I mean – “ Miyo stopped and sighed as her friend strolled away.  She was really upset.  She watche d as Kageyama trotted over, hurry ing to catch up with her as she left the gym.  She hope d  Kamui wasn’t getting herself into trouble.

…

During lunch, Kamui was sitting at a table in the center of the library, her cheek in her hand as she looked at her computer, uselessly surfing through job postings.  It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find anything useful.  She was on the verge of giving up, tipping her head back and letting out a drawn out sigh when she felt two arms wrap around her neck and warm lips pressed to her forehead through her bangs.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the affectionate touch as Kageyama asked, “What’s up, you didn’t wait for me?”

“Sorry… my head has been in the clouds.”

“Do you want some space?  Is that why?”  His eyes were innocent but he was concerned only about what she wanted.  He didn’t want to suffocate her, but the prospect of having a girlfriend was still exciting to him.  He never thought anyone  would  disregard his angry outbursts and his merciless scowls to want to be with him.  But here was his perfect dark-haired angel.

She shook her head.  “No, I don’t.  Definitely not.  I just… really have been quite distracted since I found out I didn’t get that job.”

Kageyama glanced sideways and said, “I know it still doesn’t solve any issues, but you’re more than welcome to stay in my dorm whenever there’s an inspection at Miyo’s…”

Kamui gave him a sideways glance.  “You think that Daichi is glaring at you now?  What if he finds out about that?”

Kageyama stiffened, thinking of all the terrible,  un usual ways that he’d be murdered.  “Still… until we figure something else out…”

Kamui giggled and asked, “You’re willing to risk death by my brother to help me out?”

He leaned to her, kissing her temple and causing a cute noise to leave her lips as he said, “Of course I am.”  He rested his forehead on her and nuzzled his nose to the place he kissed.  “I’ll do whatever it takes…”

Kamui sighed but leaned into him. “At this rate, I think I’m going to need a damn miracle.”  She clicked through more on her laptop.  Kageyama stayed with her the whole time, not complaining about anything but just rubbing her shoulders or back and kissing all over the side of her face.  At one point she had to push him off so she could breathe, but it caused a smile.  He saw it too.

After a while of him being a good boy and letting her do her thing, her eyes widened and she sat straight up.  He looked at her curiously and mumbled, “You look… really excited all of a sudden.  You find something?”

Her hands were trembling, “Y-Yes…!”

He suddenly scooted right back to her and looked at the screen.  “What is it?”

“It’s a programming scholarship.”  Kamui explained.  “It’s a full ride, tuition, roo m and board and everything.”

“That’s awesome!”  Kageyama told her and then asked, “What do you have to do exactly?”

“I have to design a program that displays some sort of technological advancement.”

“Is that what you do then?”

“Yeah.  I’m constantly writing and rewriting code.  This is perfect.”

“How do you sign up?  Do I need to take you somewhere?”

Kamui started to answer him when she looked back at him, taking a long pause.  This boy… without any hesitation wanted to help her and play his part, no matter what.  He didn’t care what it was, he wanted to do it.  Her lips curved up into a smile.  Finally someone cared about what was important to her.  “I… need a teacher recommendation along with the form and deliver it to the counseling office by the end of this week.”

“Do you have a teacher in mind?”  Kageyama asked.

Kamui nodded.  “I think so…”

He smiled and asked her, “Wanna go talk to them?”

With another nod, Kamui quickly printed off the application and headed out of the library with Kageyama.

…

Tanaka, Miyo, Hinata, Kageyama, and Kamui had gone to the store after school to pick up some food.  They had asked for porkbuns but the shop owner scowled, “The soccer club guys bought the last of them earlier.  Besides, we’re already closed for the day.”  The boys started whining and complaining so the angry shop owner shouted, “Shut it!  Always comin’ in here and buying up everything, have some self control once in a while!  Hurry up and go hom e  and eat a proper meal!  You ain’t building up any muscle like that!”

With a grumble they all started walking away.  Miyo glanced back, seeing him sigh with frustration before tossing snack bars at all of them.  Kageyama, Kamui, and Miyo caught theirs, but Hinata’s hit him in the head and Tanaka caught his in his mouth.

The store owner then growled, “Eat that and go home without stoppin’ on the way!  And eat a proper meal afterwards!”

They headed on out with a bunch of thank you’s but Miyo lingered.  She stated, “Hold on, I wanna talk to him about something real fast.”

Hinata blinked in curiosity and stated, “I’ll wait for you out here.”

She nodded and trotted back in.

The rest of them headed back, catching up with the rest of the team as they walked down the street.   Tanaka, Koushi, and Daichi, for the hundredth time were talking about the last match and if they could have won it had Oikawa been there the whole time.  They were skeptical of course.  But meanwhile Kamui had her eyes closed, thinking over what she would do for her own competition while allowing herself to be lead by her elbow linked with Kageyama’s.

She paid attention however when she heard Tanaka ask, “Oi, I meant to ask you why y ou came to Karasuno, Kageyama.   Why didn’t you go to Shiratorizawa?  They’re the best in the prefecture.  Even throughout the entire country, there are likely a little more than eight championship schools encroaching on each other’s territory.”

After finishing his bite of  the protein bar the shop owner gave him, he answered simply, “I didn’t get in to Shiratorizawa.”

Tanaka gasped, “You didn’t?!”

“I didn’t receive a recommendation from them and wasn’t accepted the standard way.  The entrance exam didn’t make sense.”  Kageyama confessed.

Daichi rubbed his chin.  “If we’re talking about the normal route, getting into that school would be really difficult…”

Tsukki, who was walking behind them with Yamaguchi scoffed, “So the King’s academics don’t amount to much of anything.  Good job.”

Kageyama glared at him and raised a fist but Kamui lowered it as Tanaka asked, “But then why Karasuno?”

“I’d heard that the retired Coach Ukai had returned.”  Kageyama answered, completely forgetting his anger.  

“Ukai?”  Yamaguchi questioned.

Tanaka pointed towards the sky and boldly explained, “The famous general who led the then-unknown Karasuno all the way to the Spring College national championships… or was supposed to…”  More seriously, Tanaka carried on, “The name Ukai of Karasuno was already well-known though.  They say he’s a coach who keeps ferocious crows as pets.”

Koushi added, “Last year he only coached the second and third years for a short while but it was incredibly Spartan…”  He paused, seeing the look on Kageyama’s face and stated, “Why do you look like you’re jealous…?  Coach Ukai had decided to return in earnest, but not long after he’d come back, he collapsed.  Well, he’s older and it seems he overdid things in his younger years.”

“Still, no matter which school they attend, our opponents are other college students, there’s no reason we can’t win.”  Kageyama stated, his eyes filled with determination.

Tanaka started laughing, “Quit it with the excuses!  Even if you say that and try to look cool, it’s no use!”

“That’s not it!  I’m not trying to look cool!  We actually won against one of the strongest four teams, didn’t we!”

Tanaka flicked his hand and giggled, “Oh come on, we all know you’re just trying to look good in front of your girlfriend.”

Kageyama’s cheeks darkened and he glared at him, but then the scowl left his face and he asked Kamui, “Speaking of, didn’t you have something you wanted to tell DAichi?”

Kamui nodded her head and pulled a paper out of her backpack, handing it to her older brother.   Daichi read over the flyer of information and nodded his head.  “This is perfect.  Did you get the recommendation and applied yet?”

Kamui nodded again, adjusting her backpack.  “Kage-kun and I went during lunch and visited the technology instructor.  He took care of it for me.  He said I’m the only one that applied from our school but the competition is prefecture wide.  He doesn’t know how many people I’ll go up against.”

Daichi handed her back the paper and told her, “I don’t think anyone could quite compare to you when it comes to computing and analysis.  So are you going to use the program you’ve been working on?”  When Kamui nodded, he asked, “How are you going to show that it works?”

She paused for a long moment, messing with the heel of her shoe as she finally answered, “I was going to go talk to the engineering club.  If they had time, I think they could build something for me.”

Koushi, Tanaka, and Kageyama were looking back and forth between them curiously, like they were wanting in on the big secret.  Daichi nodded his head and told her, “I know you’ll figure things out.  We’ve got things handled with the club right now, so you focus on this.  If you need anything from us, you just let us know, got it?  We’re all here to help.”

All of them nodded in agreement and Kamui smiled brightly at them.  “Thank you…!”

Daichi nodded and they all started walking again, with him picking up the team conversation where it left off, “Though, our current team lacks some basic members.”

“Like a Libero, the essence of defense, and an ace spiker who can single-handedly compete with three opposing blockers even when we can’t use a combination attack.”  Kageyama chimed in.

“…and a coach to take command during matches and the like.”

Kageyama questioned, “But you said a guardian deity had returned right?”

“Yep!” Daichi answered.

Kamui looked up at him.  “You’re talking about the crazy one, aren’t you?”

“Yep!”

“Karasuno isn’t a powerhouse, but we aren’t all that weak either.”  Koushi explained.  “Up to now, even though there were capable and talented guys there, we weren’t able to properly combine their strengths.  But we’ll get everyone together again add in the strength of the 1 st  years, and if we combine all of that fighting power…”

Daichi straightened up, “T he summer interhigh competition, nationals won’t be just a distant goal, but will definitely become something we can actually attain.”

Kageyama questioned, “The person who will be returning, just what has he been doing up until now?”

Tanaka answered with brutal honesty, “One week of house arrest and about a months ban on club activities.”

“…A delinquent…?”  Kageyama asked.

“That ain’t it.”  Tanaka stated.  “He’s, y’know, like… just a bit overly excitable.  But he’s a good guy, really.  Plus, that guy is a player who could be called Karasuno’s only genius!  Well, now that  you  joined us, it’ not just only anymore though.”

Daichi added, “When that guy comes back, go on and call him senpai, I think he’ll be idiotically happy just like Tanaka.”

…

It was a while after Kamui had gotten back to the dorm that Miyo finally returned as well.  The blonde girl looked at Kamui in surprise, seeing her hunched over her laptop with her headphones on.  Because of this, she was able to walk around the entire dorm without notice from her friend.  She grabbed a couple bottles of water out of her mini fridge and slammed one down beside her, causing her best friend to jump sky high.

Kamui ripped her headphones off and hissed, “What… when did you get back?”

“About five minutes ago.” Miyo giggled and leaned on her desk, looking at Kamui’s screen as she asked, “What are you working so hard on?  Usually you’re just casually going at it.”  Even as she spoke, she noticed Kamui’s bright red eyes glimmering with hope.  She reached into her bag and pulled out a paper, handing it to her.

Kamui hurriedly explained, “It solves all of my problems!   It’ll cover all of my school expenses as well as a place to live…!”

Miyo nodded her head, “That’s exciting and perfect.  Is there anything I can help with?”

Kamui blushed softly and smiled.  Yet another person who was supporting her and trying to help in any way that they could.   She shook her head, “Not yet.  Not tonight at least.”  She paused and then asked, “What took you so long?  Were you talking to the shop owner that entire time?”

Miyo blushed and scratched her cheek, admitting, “No… When Hinata and I walked to his place, it turns out his mother is super nice and wanted me to have a late dinner with them again.  So I did.  They’re so sweet.”

Kamui smiled, knowing how much it would mean to her best friend to have any kind of family again.  She stated, “They must like you a lot.  I’m really happy for you.”

Miyo giggled and nodded her head.  “I’m happy for you as well.”

…

The next morning, before school, Kageyama was working on his serves once again.  Kamui sat in the bleachers, her cheeks in her hands and her elbows on her knees as she watched.  She’d been up super late last night working on her program, but she didn’t want to miss a single moment she could get with Kageyama and the volleyball club considering how busy she was going to be the rest of the next couple weeks.

Kageyam a paused, taking a deep breath  and leaned his forehead against the ball.  It caused Kamui’s cheeks to warm at the thought of how concentrated and focused he looked.  To her, he looked like he was already a professional, gearing up for a hell of a game.  He was always so serious when it came to volleyball and it inspired her.  He would certainly excel in college and go pro one day.

And she wanted to be right by his side the whole way.  When he finally hit the ball with that powerful swing of his, the projectile curved in the air, just narrowly missing the water bottle he was aiming for once again.  His first many shots were all over the place and he didn’t have much control over his serve, but the more he worked at it the closer she got.  She imagined it was less because of control and more of just his body memorizing the correct movements.

But she been analyzing everything.  The height of his hand when the ball went too far, the angle of his wrist on impact, the height of his jump, the tilt of his body, the way he landed all of those factors versus how close he came to the ball.  Eventually, it drew a pattern in her mind and she connected the dots.  She sat up a bit.  “Kage-kun.”

He paused in his next serve and looked up at her.  He was breathing a little heavy but not quite panting.  Though there was a decent layer of sweat on his skin after  the thirty minutes of work he’d performed.  With a warm expression, and maybe even a little eagerness, he asked, “Did you notice something?”

Kamui paused in getting up.  His words rang through her head, causing her cheeks to flush.  It had become routine whenever she was with him as he practiced.  He was always asking her about advice now and it made her smile every time.  He was nothing like he was in high school.  She supposed she didn’t really mind him then either, but she certainly liked him a lot more now, the way he was.  But she still liked the roughness around the edges.

She trotted up to him and lingered a  moment, looking at his posture  up and down which caused him to blush darkly and look away.  Kamui gently took the ball from his hands and held it up over her head like she was about to hit the ball but that she was frozen in time.  She asked him, “What do you notice right here.”

Kageyama looked her up and down his flushed cheeks darkened even more. “A lot.  What am I looking for?”

Kamui stated, “The angle of my right arm versus my left leg.”

Kageyama paused and looked at her leg and arm, noticing that they were both the exact same distance from a straight posture.  He questioned, “They…line up…?”

Kamui relaxed back down and nodded her head.  “When you jump, I think you’re too eager to get to the ball quickly, thinking it will help your serve.  What happens is that you’re coming down from your jump before you hit the ball, which lowers your momentum and your body is already preparing for you to land, which is taking away from your swing.  What I’m saying is I think you’re hitting the ball too early.  Take more time and let the ball slow in its decent so that when you hit it, the force will be more in control of your hand.”  She took his arm and held it up, blushing a bit at how defined his forearm was and how warm the skin under her fingertips was.  “Plus, as a setter, you use your fingertips to guide the ball where you want it to go.  You’ll have to break your habit of that for your serves.  It’s easier to guide the ball with your wrist than your fingertips at this angle.”

Kageyama was nodding at everything she was saying.  He looked at the ball and said suddenly, “Thank you very much!”

Kamui blushed and said, “You… don’t need to thank me, Kage-kun…”

Kageyama paused, his face becoming red and he said, “C-could you… i-if you want… c-call me  b-by my f-first name…?  O-Or whatever… you want… y-you know… i-it’s fine.  You just… don’t have to be… f-formal…  we-we’re dating, afterall…”

Kamui tipped her head, thinking.  She had been doing a little research on dating recently and she questioned, “Should I give you a pet name, is that what you want?”

It looked like his face suddenly exploded.  His cheeks grew so dark red that she thought they may have even turned purple and he was frozen solid.  He responded simply, “If you want.”

Kamui tapped her lip with her finger and thought it over before asking, “What about… To-kun…?”

Kageyama’s grip on the ball tightened and for a scary moment, it looked like he stopped breathing.  But she heard him mumble, “It’s… so cute…  too cute…”

“Should I think of something else?” She asked.

He shouted abruptly, “No it’s fine!”

Kamui nodded her head and walked over to the other side of the court.  She picked up the water bottle and moved it.  He asked, “What are you doing?”

“Your body was starting to memorize where the ball needed to go and the movements.  My advice won’t help you or show improvements if you already know exactly how to get the ball to that one particular spot.  Moving your target around is the only way to show real improvement.”

Kageyama smirked and pressed his forehead to the ball again.  “Got it.  Thanks Kam.”


	16. Chapter 16

“I told Daichi I wouldn’t be at practice today.”  Kageyama told Kamui as they walked down the hall of the school.

This made Kamui look up from her book in surprise.  “What?  Why?”

Kageyama tilted his head, giving her a questioning look.  “You said you wanted me to come with you to talk to the engineering club.”

“Y-Yeah, but you don’t have to stay.”  Kamui told him.  “Wouldn’t you rather go to practice?”

Kageyama made a face as he thought over the answer to her question.  Like usual, his hands were tucked away in his hoodie pockets and he casually stated, “Well… I’d rather play volleyball than hang out with the engineering club, but… I’d like to spend more time with you, too.  Going to practice doesn’t seem as fulfilling if you’re not there.”

Kamui’s cheeks turned red at this and she started walking faster.  She suddenly turned to him and ordered, “Y-You better not start slacking off then!”

Kageyama smirked and shook his head.  “No way.  Someone expects me to win, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Kamui led the way to the engineering club room which the location had been given to her by the teacher who placed her recommendation.  She swallowed hard, not sure if she was really up to having to talk to new people that she didn’t know, but she gasped when Kageyama reached passed her and opened it on up.  She hid behind him as they stepped in.

The entire room was filled with all kinds of robotics and mechinisms, but most appeared to be broken.  Lots of computer parts and electronics were scattered all over the place.  But on top of that there were piles of manga lining the walls as well as action figures and other nerd things.  In the middle at a large table, a group of guys were all huddled together, but now they were looking up at the strangers that had entered.

One kid, who looked similar to Tsukishima – blonde hair and glasses, but was much smaller and lankier and looked like he’d have issues even catching a ball.  He adjusted his glasses and asked, “Can we help you?”

Kageyama tipped his head.  “Not me…”  He pointed to Kamui to discover that Kamui wasn’t there.  He sighed and stepped back, seeing that the small nerdy girl had hidden in the shadow of the doorway to avoid prying eyes.  He told her, “You’re going to have to face them, you know?  What are you so nervous about?  You’re super smart.”

“I’ve never met with other people like this before…”  Kamui whimpered.  

“You said you were in a club.”

“A programming club!  We meet virtually and that’s only every few weeks.  Otherwise we just work on our scripts and send them to each other for code reviews…”

“Just talk to them like you do me.”

“I can’t!”

Kageyama sighed, picking Kamui up by the back of her shirt and carrying her in and placing her down on her feet at the table.  He ordered, “Talk.”

Kamui gripped the bottom of her shirt, her hands fidgeting nervously as she looked about shyly, too afraid to even open her mouth.  All of the guys at the table were staring at her though.  It started out as passive whispers, ‘it’s a girl’ ‘why’s a girl here?’ ‘is this a joke?’ ‘she’s totally cute’ ‘look how much she’s blushing’.

Kamui swallowed hard and finally gathered up her nerves.  “H-Hi… I’m Kamui Sawamura…”

One of the closer, heavier looking boys quickly asked, “Are you joining our club?  Do you know anything about engineering?”

The one on the other side moved closer and teased, “Who cares?  I want a cute girl in our club either way.” 

Kageyama put his arm up and growled, “Back off before I knock that stupid little grin off your face.”

The boys suddenly turned away and huddled together, once again whispering, ‘do you think that guy is joining too?’ ‘are they dating?’ ‘no way, they look like polar opposites’ ‘I think I’ve seen that guy in a sport club or something’ ‘so why’s he here?’ ‘maybe she’s paying him as a body guard’.

Kageyama’s brow was twitching in irritation.  “Hey…!”

Before Kageyama could do anything Kamui quickly bowed and held out a paper, announcing, “I need your help please!”

The guys looked suspiciously at Kageyama but when Kamui all but squeaked her plea, they were all over it.  The original guy stated, “Anything for a cutie like you!  How can we be of service?”

Kageyama grumbled, “There’s no way I’m leaving you here alone with these weirdos.”

Kamui ignored him and explained to the others.  “I’m… in a bit of a situation.  I’ve lost my source of payment for a place to live and to stay here at school.  I found a scholarship that will take care of everything.  I have a program designed for it, but I need some capable engineers because the program I want to use will be useless without a product to use as a medium.”  Kamui had begun to continue to ramble when all four of the boys shouted at the same time.

“You’re a programmer!?”

“Y-Yes…”  Kamui mumbled, not sure if she should be embarrassed or not.

The quiet one in the back suddenly piped up, “All of our problems are solved…!”

“H-Huh?”  Kamui questioned.

“We’ve built tons of things, but we haven’t been able to utilize the talents of anything without a programmers help.  We can help each other out – If you can that is.  We’ll focus on your program for the scholarship competition and then maybe you can write up some scripts to make our mechanics run!”

“I can try… I’m still kind of new…”  Kamui stated.

“Better than what we’ve got.”  

For the next bit, the boys at the table introduced themselves after scooting up a chair for her and Kageyama.  The Tsukki look alike introduced himself a Hirosha.  He was the nerd version of the brawn of the outfit.  He was good at putting pieces together and making them move how they were supposed to.  The quiet one sitting across from him had jet black hair and it was gelled back out of his face, but he had lots of freckles and braces on his teeth.  His talents were similar to Kamui’s but he wasn’t as good with math analytics but more of puzzles and knowing the most efficient way of going about things.  His name was Quin.  The stocky boy with the brown curly hair to her right was an engineering genius.  His name was Henry and he was the reason there were computer pieces everywhere on the floor.  Who knew the ins and outs of all circuitry and built multiple computers from the ground up.  He liked to brag about how great the graphics on his computer were when he was playing his games.  The wannabe a player nerd on her left with the short spiked hair was the brains of the nerds.  He knew everything there was to know about everything and even mentioned that he’d dabbled in code a little bit, but it was pretty complicated even for him.  He knew the different languages, but not how to apply it or write it.  His name was Sam.

Sam grumbled and asked, “Is your bodyguard going to be joining you every time?”

Kageyama glared at him and growled, “Yes I am.  Deal with it.”

“You’d only get in the way.”  Sam stated.  “Besides you look like one of those brainless jocks.  You probably struggle passing tests.”

The other guys all nodded and mumbled their agreements.

Kamui quickly stated, “Um, I feel better having him around, so please don’t mind.   I want him to join me.”

Kageyama smiled softly; the other nerds couldn’t possibly know the significance of those words for her.  Changing the subject from him, she got her computer out and began explaining what the program she was developing did and how she wanted to utilize it.  Hearing her plans caused his eyes to widen and his heart lurched a bit.  He was really glad he was sticking around and he was doing his best to keep up.  He kept asking questions through her explanation and she’d stop and try to explain.  Most of the time, even though she dumbed it down, he still didn’t get it.  He didn’t mind, he just liked hearing her voice.  But he did want to know more about the things she cared so much about.

The other guys were beginning to throw out ideas of what they could design to access her program and Kamui gave feedback to each of their ideas.  Sometimes Kageyama would even ask them questions and they would – although reluctantly – explain things to him as well.  They were looking at one of the tools that Henry was explaining would be best used to apply the data to the circuitry and a curious Kageyama pulled it out of his hands and began investigating.  He asked, “So… how do you take something on a computer, that’s a bunch of words and put it on an object to make it work.”

Kamui gave him a blank stare.  Past the being a bunch of words, she knew nothing.  Henry began explaining and she noticed that Kageyama was listening intently, even asking further questions for more clarification.  He didn’t look as excited as he did when he was playing volleyball, but he looked eager to have some part in this project that was so important to her.  Was that how deeply he cared about her?  That he’d participate and help with things that he wasn’t into, just to know more about it and be a part of something she cared about?  Her throat swelled up with happiness and she bit her lip.  Her skin even felt warm and she suddenly felt like the center of her own universe.  She’d never known such compassion to exist.  Miyo and Daichi supported her in her trials and her habits, but they’d never taken an active participation in them like this.  Kamui swallowed hard  and touched Kageyama’s sleeve.

“To-kun.”  She whispered.  He turned to her curiously, just in time for her to lean up and press her lips to his.  It was a soft kiss but a passionate one and he leaned into it for a moment, his cheeks dark red with embarrassment.  It was surprising, just like the one on the court before the game against Aobajousai, but this time was even worse because the four nerds were looking right at them.  After a moment, not wanting to pull away for fear of upsetting her, she finally withdrew and gave him a smile.  Kageyama’s cheeks were dark red and he shouted, “W-wait the heck!?  Kissing me all of a sudden!?”

She scratched her cheek.  “Sorry… I just… wanted to…”

Kageyama’s brow twitched with sudden realization.  No matter what it was, all she’d have to do was use that line and she’d be forgiven of anything.  He had no ground to stand on when it came to the things she wanted.  But he glared at the guys that were all staring  and shouted, “What is your problem!?  Haven’t you ever seen anyone kiss before!?”

The guys all huddled together and started whispering to each other once again.  Kamui rubbed the back of her head and said to Kageyama, “Sorry if… I embarrassed you…”

He put his hand up and sighed.  “I don’t mind…  If it’s something you want… I’m okay with it.  Unless you really start to go crazy.”  He puffed a cheek and thought about asking her to warn him next time but he realized that he really kind of liked her surprise kisses the most.  They were pleasant to receive and he didn’t want her to think she had to ask before she did anything.  He didn’t need to give her permission.  He wanted her to be free to do all the things she couldn’t because of her stupid mother.

After getting some action items going, Kamui and Kageyama left the club meeting room with plans to meet again tomorrow.  Kamui looked down at her watch and stated, “Practice just started… you’d be a little late, but you could make it still.  How do you plan on coming to all these meetings and still keeping up with volleyball practice?”

Kageyama rubbed the back of his head.  “I’ll figure something out.  Those guys were hitting on you the whole time and I’m not going to leave you with them.”

Kamui gave him a long, pointed look and challenged, “Were you jealous, To-kun?”

“What?!  Of those nerds?  No way.”  Kageyama grumbled, but the color on his cheeks said otherwise.

Kamui reached out towards him and after a moment of her swinging her hand around desperately, he realized what she wanted.  He sighed and pulled his hand out of his pocket and took hers in it.  She smiled delightfully as they walked.  It was surprising to him every time they held hands just how much smaller hers was than his.  He knew that his hands were rather large, but he could probably have held three of her hands at once with just his one.  His gaze softened as he slowly laced his fingers with hers, squeezing the soft tiny digits between his own.  Her expression was so vivid and bright, completely different from the expressions she wore when they first met.  She’d changed so much in such a short amount of time and he was glad for it.  Though she was now getting upset and angry at things… she was feeling things and that’s what mattered to him.  But the best part was her feelings towards him.  The feelings that made him not lonely anymore.  The thought of being on the court with no one there were gone.  It was a metaphorical feeling of course, because it could still happen.

But even if it did… she’d be on the sidelines waiting for him.  Watching him.  Cheering him on.  He had to lose the haunting crown on his head.   He wanted to throw away his old title and prove that he was a man worthy of her.   In a way, it felt like she was actually the queen, and he was a knight trying to gain her approval and acceptance.  He didn’t want to be an oppressive king any longer.

…

Like usual, Hinata’s receives were terrible.

Hinata hit the ball with his forearms, but he hit it in the wrong direction and too hard so the ball went flying out of bounds and up on the upper floor.  With a loud grumble, Hinata went to the ladder to make his way up to the top.

Miyo scratched her cheek.  “It wasn’t terrible…”

“It was mortifying.”  Kamui corrected.  She was holding Kageyama’s jacket and she looked at her friend and stated, “What have you guys been doing?  Because it obviously wasn’t practicing.”

Miyo reached over, grabbing her friend and putting her in a headlock.  “You brat!”

Kamui laughed and pulled away as Kageyama set up to try and hit his water bottle that was on the other side of the court again.  When he did, the ball sailed over, but suddenly someone new had entered the gym.  To all of their surprise, he darted onto the court and blocked the ball, bunting it back to the net where a setter on his team would have been.

All of them were staring in surprise as the newcomer.  He was small a bit lanky with spiky hair and a s mall spot of blonde.  The new kid picked up his jacket that he’d tossed on the floor and stated, “That was a pretty amazing serve… a real incredible guy’s joined up, huh?”

Eve ryone was still in shock except  Tanaka, Koushi, and Daichi.  Tanaka ran up to his friend while all three of them shouted, “Nishinoya!”

Daichi waved his hand and explained to the first years, “This is our second year, Nishinoya Yuu.”  They greeted each other, but Hinata trotted up to Noya, stammering.  

Miyo casually asked, “What’s wrong…?”

“H-He’s shorter than me!?”  Hinata gasped.

Nishinoya gasped and shouted back, “What did you just say you bastard!?”

Miyo giggled and waved her hand, “That would be the first thing he says to him… oh well.”

Hinata continued, “H-How tall are you…? ”

“159 cm!”  Noya shouted triumphantly.  He was so proud of it but Hinata was beginning to look woosy and he teared up.  “This is the first time since starting club activities that I’ve been taller than someone…”

Noya screamed, “Being taller ain’t such a big deal!  Don’t get all happy and cry about it!”  He looked between all of them and then asked, “So you lot are the first years, huh?”  His gaze landed on Miyo and Kamui and then he hurried up to them, once again tossing his jacket and taking both of their hands and suddenly putting on a look of admiration.  “You must be Daichi’s little sister and her best friend.  I’ve heard so much about you two, but I’d never guessed you two were so cute…!”

Kamui blushed but Miyo pulled her hand and Kamui’s free and growled, “Ugh, another idiot like Tanaka.”

Tanaka gaped.  “I-idiot?”

Daichi grabbed the back of Noya’s collar and dragged him back, growling, “Leave our team managers alone.”

Noya straightened up and looked at Kageyama, who was glaring at him.  “You, the guy who was serving before, the tall one with the mean look in his eyes.  What high school are you from?”

“Kitagawa Daiichi.”  Kageyama answered with a question in his voice.

Noya jumped.  “Seriously?  They’re champions, ain’t they?  No wonder you got a serve like that!  When I was in high school, we lost to them, 2-1!”

“R-really?” Kageyama questioned.

“Yeah, back then, they had another guy with an amazing serve, too.”

Koushi chuckled and stated, “His voice is really loud.”

“He’s just as troublesome as always.”  Daichi informed.

Kageyama suddenly got a really flustered look on his face.  “Uh… Nishi…Ni…”

Koushi helped, “Nishinoya.”

“Nishinoya-san… which high school did you – “

“Chidoriyama!”  Noya shouted with enthusiasm.

Kageyama gasped, “They’re champions right!?  Why are you at Karasuno?  It’s because you heard about Coach Ukai’s return, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, Noya’s gaze became incredibly seriously.  “Nope.  I came to Karasuno because…”  He dropped down to one knee and held his arms out for display as though revealing Miyo and Kamui as trophies and finished, “I liked the girls’ uniform a lot!  Of course, the girls themselves went beyond my expectations.  And besides that , the boys get black gakuran!  They’re cool aren’t they?  We had blazers back in high school, but I wanted a Gakuran so bad.  Not brown or gray, it had to be black!”

Tanaka cheered, “I know right!?”

“Karasuno has a black gakuran, the girls uniform is cute and it’s close to my house so the decision was a no brainer.”

He and Tanaka delved into a conversation about the uniforms while Koushi stated, “He comes whirling in like a storm as always.”

“An unexpected downpour…”  Hinata clarified.

Daichi laughed and stated, “He is pretty noisy, huh?  But when he’s on the court… he gets surprisingly quiet…”

Noya turned back to the others and asked, “What about Asahi-san?  Did he come back?”

There was a long silence that settled across the gym floor.  Finally Daichi answered, a serious look in his eyes, “No…”

Noya’s presence immediately changed and he shouted, “That coward!”

Tanaka reprimanded, “Don’t talk like that about our ace!”

“Shut up!  A coward’s a coward!”

Miyo noticed that at Tanaka’s words, Hinata’s eyes widened.  Was he surprised the team already had an ace?  Was this news to him?  She smiled softly and supposed it couldn’t be helped.  The poor kid wanted to be the ace so badly.  She wondered if it was jealousy or admiration that was swelling into those brilliant brown eyes of his.  Would he look to their current ace as a teacher or as a rival?  Or maybe both?

Noya headed for the door, still shouting, “Just like I said before, if Asahi-san’s not coming back, then neither am I!”

Once the door was slammed shut behind him, Kageyama looked to the others for an explanation.  “What was that?”

“Sorry, there is a bit of an issue between Nishinoya and our ace…”  Tanaka confessed.

Miyo happened to glance over in time to see Hinata run out the door after Noya, asking, “Please teach me how to receive!  Nishiya-san, you’re a libero, right?  A defense specialist!”

“It’s Nishinoya.  Why do you think I’m a libero?  Is it cause I’m short?”  Noya growled, while the rest of the team watched from the doorway.

Hinata shook his head.  “No, it’s cause you’re good at receives.  I mean, Libero isn’t a position you’d do because you’re short.  It’s a position you can do because you’re good at receives, right?  Isn’t it?”

Noya crossed his arms and huffed, “You… understand pretty well, huh?”

Hinata nodded and added, “And the captain called you a guardian diety!”

“Gu… what?  What’s with that?  Being called such an extravagant name… I’m not really…”  He paused and then turned back to Hinata curiously, “He really said that?”

“He really did.”

“Being called such a cool name is… I mean I’m – y’know… not so easily… dammit… damn you Daichi-san…”

“I’m still really clumsy with receives.  Even though it’s the most important thing in volleyball… so please teach me how to do receives, Nishinoya-senpai!”

Noya stood there for a moment in awe before he suddenly looked like he was getting shot.  He slumped over and then slowly explained, “…You… after practice… I’ll treat you to an icepop… cause I’m… a senpai after all!”  Hinata looked really happy and excited at this, but before he got too wound up, Noya explained, “But this doesn’t mean I’m coming back to club activities!  It’s just to teach you, got it?”

Daichi made a face and asked, “How did Hinata know to call him senpai?  He wasn’t there for that conversation.”

“Hina-kun has a way with words.”  Miyo explained with a big smile.  “Now we just have to convince this Asahi guy to join back up so Noya-kun will too.”


	17. Chapter 17

During lunch break, like usual, Kageyama was sipping at his juice box while Kamui was working on her computer.  He glanced over at her and mumbled around his straw, “So how’s that project coming along?  You guys were talking about a code that was triggering the wrong thing, right?  Have you fixed it?”

Kamui’s hands stiffened over her keys and she shook her head suddenly.  “I keep trying different queries, but they keep returning unlike data.  I can’t find a criterion to search by that will return the right statements.”

Kageyama frowned a bit and admitted, “I wish I could help, but I consider myself to be doing good just to understand what you just said.”

Kamui smiled softly and took a drink of her own juice.  “I know.  You don’t… have to be so concerned about it you know?  I know that it’s not your thing.  So don’t force yourself to try and understand all of it.”

Kageyama sighed and leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees and he explained, “I’m not forcing myself and I know I’m not going to understand everything.  But I want to be more than just… supportive or accepting.  You always look so excited and happy when you’re working with your computers and so… I want to be involved in that.  I want to be there when you’re happy and know what it is that you’re so excited over.  I want to be an active participant in that… so… it truly is something I want to do.”

Kamui placed her hand on his thigh and she smiled slowly .  “That… means more than you could ever know…”

Kageyama reached out, brushing his hand along her cheek and sweeping her obsidian hair back out of her face.  His thumb brushed her cheek bone as he told her, “And you have no idea how much your happiness means to me…”

Kamui leaned forward, closer to him until she was nuzzled against his shoulder.  He  accepted  her snuggle and draped his arm across her shoulders.

…

During the meet after school, Kamui worked closely with Quin to try and figure out why the code wasn’t transferring properly.  They spent most of the evening working on that while Henry silently began the ground work of a circuit board.  The meeting was fairly quiet because of it, except for the few comments passed back and forth between her and Quin.  A couple times she glanced up, seeing Kageyama off in the corner, tossing the volleyball up and down.  She could tell he was trying so hard not to show it, but there was a bit of a sad look in his eyes.  After several hours of working through complex tests, they didn’t find a solution, but they ruled out a few possibilities.

Finally Kamui called it quits so they could pick it back up tomorrow.  She hurried through grabbing up her things and pulled her bag over her shoulder.  She nudged Kageyama and hurriedly told him, “C’mon, maybe you can make the tail end of practice.”

Kageyama looked at her questioningly but hurried as she had ordered.

By the time they reached the gym though, no one was there.  Kageyama sighed and rested the ball against the side of his head.  “No worries.  We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Kamui frowned up at him.  This was the third day in a row that he wasn’t able to make practice at all.  And when he had made it, it was usually only in time for a quick cool down and then cleaning.  He’d only been able to make the morning practices recently and she felt guilty.  She tugged on his sleeve and said, “Why don’t you just go to practice after school tomorrow?   It’s really okay.  I don’t want you to stop doing what you want because of me.”

“It’s only for a short while.”  Kageyama corrected her.  “Besides, I still get some practice in here and there.”

“Yeah but you look upset while you’re waiting at my meetings.”

Kageyama suddenly stiffened and snapped, “No I don’t!”

Kamui flinched back.  “You… look like it.”

“I do not!  It’s just fine!”

“…Fine?”

Kageyama stopped and glared at the volleyball.  Crap.  The trigger word.

“So then… you’re not happy are you?”

“It’s not… that…”  Kageyama looked away, grumbling to himself.

“Please go to practice tomorrow?  I don’t want to keep you from it.”

Kageyama sighed, giving in.  “As soon as you’re done, meet me at the gym so I can still walk you home, okay?”

“Uh, okay.”  Kamui agreed.  He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away, starting that direction now.  She trotted after him for a little ways, trying to weigh his feelings.  He seemed upset about something, but he wasn’t willing to talk to her about it.  She reached out finally, linking her arm with his.  He paused, letting her get caught up and situated before continuing.  She could feel the warmth of his body as they walked and it made her smile and lean her head on his shoulder, allowing herself to be led by him.

Kageyama glanced down at her and a smile curved his lips.  But his thoughts were muddled right now.  How was he supposed to tell her how he really felt?  The selfish thoughts that had plagued him recently?  He’d gotten so used to her being dependent on him to be happy and for company.  The thought of her enjoying something that she didn’t need him for scared him.  She  was  opening up now, not only to him, but to everyone.  What happens once she realizes she likes the company of others besides him?  For example, someone who doesn’t yell at her and get mad over stupid little things.  It’s only a matter of time before she chooses to spread her wings without him.

It terrified him.

They were almost to the school dorms when Miyo trotted up to them.  She frowned and quickly explained, “Kamui… do you think you could kill a little time?  The dorm inspections are tonight at eight.  I can text you as soon as they’re over.  Do you have something you can do?”

“We can kill time.”  Kageyama informed for her.  “No problem.”

Kamui looked up at him.  “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you can work on your program at my place.”  Kageyama answered.

Miyo nodded her head, thanking them both profusely.

…

At Kageyama’s dorm, Kamui was leaned against his bedside, working on her computer like she usually did, but Kageyama was laying behind her, running his hand through her hair and playing with it, occasionally braiding and unbraiding the beautiful strands.  He would frequently ask her question about something or other, but he tried not to distract her too much.  He just enjoyed the company that came with her.

He fluffed her bangs and then asked, “Do you wanna stay here tonight?”

Kamui paused and tipped her head back.  When she did, her forehead was met by his lips, causing a noise to leave her and she asked him in return, “Do you want me to stay here?”

“I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t want you to.”  He corrected her and then chuckled, “But it’s your opinion that matters this time so don’t turn the tables on me.”

“Your arms were comfortable…”  Kamui mumbled, her cheeks turned rosy.   She was thinking about a couple weeks ago when she had gotten the call about not getting the job and then, upset and exhausted, she had just fallen asleep with him here.

That was answer enough for him.   He pushed up off the bed and stated, “I’m guessing you didn’t just happen to have a change of clothes on you, right?  Do you want to wear something of mine to sleep in?  I’ll wash your uniform for tomorrow.”

Kamui’s cheeks were nice and red.  It felt… different.  But good.  She shyly answered, “Y-Yes… that’d be fine…”   She set her computer down and stood up, asking, “Can I take a shower too?”

He nodded his head in return, but his cheeks were a dark color, trying to not blush, but it w asn’t working.  He handed her a  t-shirt and a pair of shorts before walking into the closet and grabbing a towel for her as well.   “H-Here.  Do you need anything else?”

Kamui shook her head, accepting the items he handed her and then leaning up on her toes.  She softly pressed her lips to his and he tipped his head, kissing her back.  His arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand slid into her hair, tangling his fingers between the black strands and holding her to him.  She didn’t even try to pull back and it made him happy.  But eventually they both needed to breathe so he stepped back and caressed the side of her face.

She smiled before stepping around him and into the bathroom.

After finishing up her shower, Kamui spent a little time in the bathroom, trying her hair up so it would dry in a decent way since Kageyama didn’t exactly keep a hair dryer in his room.  Once her hair was taken care of, she  pulled on the clothes he’d handed her and scooped her own up into a pile.  She paused, pulling the collar of his shirt up to her nose and closed her eyes.  A noise escaped her.  His clothes smelled just like him.  It was a pleasant smell that made her smile and feel her heart begin to race a hundred miles an hour.  She liked this and this feeling.  There were still some drips of water down the side of her face and neck as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Kageyama bounced to his feet and held his arms out for the stack of clothes.  She handed them off and he took them to his little washing machine.  He had to ignore the fact he could see her bra and panties in the stack, but it still caused a red hot blush on his cheeks.  He pushed the lid down after prepping it all up and stepped back into the main room, seeing that Kamui was in the small kitchen area, getting a bottle of water out of his mini fridge.

She was so cute and it was causing a strange sensation for him to see her dressed in his clothes.  They were so baggy on her and his short sleeves went nearly down to her elbows.  It looked as though she could easily get lost inside of those clothes but she was so darn cute.

There was a curious look on her face upon realizing he was staring at her.  He jumped a bit, out of nervousness and scratched his cheek.  “S-sorry… you… look cute…”

Kamui looked down at herself, closing up the water bottle.  “They’re your clothes.  And you see me every day.”

“Y-yes… but the combination is cute…”  He muttered.

Kamui sighed, running a finger a long her loose black bangs and pulling them around as though investigating the hairs themselves.  He was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed about how he was acting around her now that she had his clothes on.  It just seemed like such an intimate thing to him.

When he turned back to her to try and say something, he suddenly realized she was right there, looking at him curiously through her glasses.  She asked, “Is something bothering you?”  She reached her hand up and pressed it to his forehead.  “Do you feel sick, your face looks flush…”

He took her hand gently off his head and mumbled, “It has nothing to do with illness, Kamui…”

“Then what’s wrong?” Kamui asked and then gasped when suddenly pulled her forward by the arm and her body stumbled into his.  Wrapping his other arm around her lower back, he locked her into place against his hard toned body.  His nose brushed hers before he kissed her softly.

Kamui kissed him back, despite being startled from him pulling her suddenly against himself.  She didn’t mind it though.  His clothes smelled nice but it was his body that provided the warmth.  The kiss lingered longer than it usually did for them.  Those lips of his were so tender and careful, but they were persistent this time, not releasing hers for even a second.   When he finally pulled back to breathe, the hot air floated down her neck and it caused her to shiver and squeeze close to him.  He released her arm and wrapped it along with the other around her slender body.  He kissed her again, several times before letting his lips dance down her jaw.

Each touch of his lips caused a feeling through her that she hadn’t felt.  It was hard to explain.  It wasn’t a shock, necessarily but… maybe a spark.  It was a feeling that coursed right through her and straight to her beating heart.  It caused it to pound faster and she could hear the echo of the pounding in her ears.  Every second that she didn’t do something, she worried that his lips would stop and this pleasant… whatever it was, would cease.  It reminded her of the feeling she got watching him play volleyball.  The rush of her heart would pick up until she was smiling like an idiot for no reason.  Thoughts entered her head and her natural reaction was to try and speak them.

But as soon as his name left her lips, her thought process stopped and she was left with a mind blank with nothing but the happiness caused by his lips left to fill the void.  All she could think about was him.   All she heard was his breathing, his kisses, her own heart, she felt him, she saw him… 

His lips drifted slowly down the side of her neck and she tipped her head back.  His hold was secure on her and she was glad because her body felt weak and her knees began to tremb le.   These sensations were so  new to her, but she didn’t dislike them.  She felt vulnerable and protected all at the same time.  She became aware that there were sounds leaving her lips to the same rhythm of his kisses down her neck.

He stopped near the top of her collarbone that was left partially exposed, due to the size of his shirt.  After a brief pause, she felt something hotter and wet against her skin and realized it was his tongue.  The same sensation went through her body  but now much  _ much _  stronger  and she slowly opened her eyes.  “To-kun…”

His lips paused halfway back up her neck and he gently asked, “Sorry.  Should I stop…?  You just… smell so good and I got carried away…”

“No.  I… don’t want you to stop…”  Kamui admitted, gripping the front of his shirt.

“You don’t want to go back to your computer?”

“Not yet…”

“Then… you like this better than your program?”  He knew it wasn’t fair to ask her such a question and he wouldn’t be offended if her answer was no.  But that didn’t stop him from getting his hopes up.

Kamui grumbled, “I don’t like my program.  It’s an object.  I can’t have feelings towards it.”

“Kamui…”  He growled against her neck.

“But I like this… what we’re doing and I like you…” 

This appeased him.  He relaxed his hold on her, but, keeping his lips where they were, he began to suck on her soft, delicious skin.  He was rewarded with milky moans that seemed to  echo in his ears and fill his life with purpose.  He held her closer and continued as her moans seemed to beg him to do.  He scooped up her tiny body against his more powerful one and held onto her like she was his lifeline.

By the end of the evening, their bodies were tangled up under the warm covers with matching purple love marks along their necks and shoulders.  Kageyama’s possessive arms were wrapped around her tiny body, almost completely tucked away between his arms and the bed.

…

The next morning, Kamui yawned as she woke up and lifted herself slowly to a sitting up position.  She could feel her hair sticking up in every direction, but she looked down to see that Kageyama was still snoring soundly, curled up around where she had just been.  If they didn’t have school, it wouldn’t take anything for her to just curl right back down there with him.   But instead, she knew they both needed to get up and around.  She gently prodded his shoulder to wake him up when a loud noise suddenly started going off.  A squeal left her lips and she looked at the bedside table, seeing his phone was lit up and moving around.

Kageyama groaned and rolled over, grabbing it and turning it off.  He rubbed his face and slowly sat up.  His eyes weren’t even open yet but his hair was splayed all over the place.  It looked like his body was on autopilot.  He leaned to her until his chin nestled against her shoulder and his face to her neck and he looped his arms back around her.  He grumbled, “Pillows shouldn’t be up and around so early…”

Kamui told him, “I slept in.  You set your alarm late.”

“Shut up…”  He growled playfully.  He pulled her back down into the bed and brushed her hair back as she lay across his chest.  He asked her gently, “How’d you sleep?”

“On my side.”  Kamui answered, earning a roll of the eyes and an irritated groan from Kageyama.  His hands slid down to her shoulders, but those magnificent eyes of his filled with affection.

After a few more minutes of just laying around, doing nothing,  they finally started getting up.  Kamui braided her hair down over her shoulder and glanced at him from the bathroom mirror, happening to catching him pulling his shirt off in the reflection.  Her cheeks darkened and she quickly looked back away.

His voice drifted in, “Hey… about going to practice tonight…”

Kamui blinked and asked, “You’re still going, right?”

“I… I’d rather go to your meet – “ Kageyama started.

“Why?  You love volleyball and you haven’t been getting to practice much.  Please go!  It’s really not a big deal.  I want you to go to practice with the others.”  Kamui insisted.

Kageyama gritted his teeth.  There was a foreign knot in his stomach at her words.  It was stupid, but it felt like, to him, that she was trying to push him out.  That she didn’t want him there.  He couldn’t blame her.  He didn’t know anything about her computer stuff and his questions were probably just a bother for her.  Finishing changing, he walked into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her waist.  He kissed the back of her head and pressed his forehead to it.  He softly agreed, “If you insist… don’t forget to come back to practice after.”

Kamui turned around placing her hands upon his cheeks.  She brushed her thumbs along his face and whispered, “I’ll be there.  I promise.”

…

The morning practice had been going just like any other morning practice.  Kageyama was screaming at Hinata who wasn’t paying attention or receiving correctly and Miyo was constantly scolding both of them and making them get along, at least for the duration of practice.

Kamui was sitting on the bleachers with her laptop in front of her, working with her code.  Every now and then she’d duck under a flyaway ball just to hear and annoyed Miyo shout and order the boys to get their act together.   While they were all bickering, the door to the gym opened up and they all looked over.  Noya jumped up from where he was sitting on the sidelines after helping Hinata earlier that morning.

In the doorway was a woman with dark brown hair that was spiked out just a bit behind her ears, with two blonde locks that curled around over her shoulders.  She had a bag over her shoulders and was wearing a uniform that Kamui recognized as the girls volleyball uniform.  Her eyes widened.

She recognized this girl.

The girl strolled up, immediately greeted by all of the second and third years.  Out of curiosity, Kamui jumped down off the bleachers and walked up to the girl.  Her green eyes widened in surprised and she pushed back Tanaka and Noya who were making kissy faces at her.  She came to a stop when she was in Kamui’s face and she narrowed her eyes.  “What are you doing here?”

Daichi put his hands up and quickly asked, “You two know each other?”

Kamui blinked, unsure how to react.  But Kageyama came up behind her and pulled her back a couple steps, ready to interfere.   He tensed up when the new girl reached into her back pocket and suddenly held out a handful of cash.  The girl stated, “I was hoping I’d find you again.”

Kamui stared at the money in shock, not sure what to do or say.  So Kageyama questioned, “What’s going on here?”

The girl glared at Kamui, waiting for her to take the money.

Daichi, getting a bit annoyed, demanded, “Will one of you explain something?”

The girl sighed and stated, “You guys curious why I was out of school for a few months?  I wouldn’t tell anyone, but my family had been in a financial crisis for a while.  My dad lost his job and my mom was working her ass off.  I’d been… stealing things that we needed at home, telling mom that I’d gotten a job on the side.  I’d had every intention of paying the store owners back when my family got back up, but… Kamui found me first.”  The girl put her hands in her back pockets and stated, “She walked in on me and saw me stealing some dog food for our pup at home.  I thought for sure she was going to turn me in.  She… asked me if there was anything else I wanted.  She bought it for me and took me to a couple other stores to get the house restocked.”  She looked away, her cheeks flushing.  “In exchange, she made me tell the owner what I’d done and why.   He agreed to not get police involved and in exchange, he offered me a job to pay it all off.  I stopped coming to school to get more hours so I could pay off faster and I was determined to pay Kamui back for the money she loaned me.”

“You r  name is Lily right?”  Kamui asked.  “That was a while back.”

“I thought of dropping out completely, but… I didn’t want to work that kind of job and those kinds of hours all my life… so…I decided to come back.  Today is my first official day back.  Thought I’d swing by and see how you turds were doing.”

Tanaka and  Noya were jumping up and down with excitement, talking about how glad they were to have her back.  Kamui was watching Lily as she yelled at both of them to shut the hell up.  Lily asked, “So is Asahi not here?”

The first years looked questioningly at her.  Again about this Asahi guy.  Daichi shook his head.  “Sorry.  He still hasn’t come back…”

Lily grumbled, gripping her bag strap tightly in her other hand.  “Seriously… ”  With that, she glared at the others, shoved the money that was still in her hand into Kamui’s and stormed back out the door.

Kamui blinked and stared at the money in her hand.  Kageyama stated, “Well… that will help you for a while.  What good timing.”

“Yeah… but I hope that’s okay.  If she’ s back in  school, she can’t work as many hours…”  Kamui mentioned.

Kageyama’s gaze softened and he mumbled, “You worry way too much about everyone else. ”

Kamui glanced at him curiously before she turned away and glanced back at the time.  “Classes will be starting here soon.  You guys probably want to wrap things up…”

Daichi patted her shoulder and chuckled, “Don’t worry, we’re paying attention.  We got enough tim e to do one more round of…”  The captain’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her and he lifted the braid up off her shoulder from where it lay against his neck.  Slowly, a dark shadow of menace and threat loomed over him and he sharply demanded, “Say… Kamui… what’re the chances you fell and just happened to hit the side of your neck?”

Kamui stiffened in reaction to his question, but Kageyama was already running away.  Daichi immediately turned and gave chase, grabbing up one of the balls from the cart as he shouted, “Kageyama you bastard, keep your hands off my sister!”  He threw the ball hard enough that it nailed him in the back of the head and knocked the poor dork over into the bleachers.

This earned a laugh from both Hinata and Miyo.

…

Practice after school, Noya and Hinata were still going at it.  Noya kept entertaining his ability to be ‘senpai’ while Hinata was baselessly listening to everything that was told to him.  Miyo waved her hands from beside the net.  Now they were all practicing spikes, while Daichi and Tsukishima were on the other side of the net readying to practice their receives.  Miyo blew a whistle and tossed the ball towards Kageyama as Tanaka ran towards the net.  As he jumped into the air, the ball that left Kageyama’s fingertips danced just a bit over and landed back on the other side of Miyo.  “Don’t mind, don’t mind.”  She called, trotting back over to the ball.  “Tanaka did you come up a little short?”

Tanaka hesitated, “I… - “

“No, that was on me.”  Kageyama stated, but his gaze was distant.  “I threw a little high.  Sorry, let me try again.”

Miyo nodded and once they were back in place, tossed the ball to him again.  When he set it once more, this time the timing was all out of whack and it missed Tanaka completely.  He landed and looked over at his setter questioningly.  “Oi, you’re having an off day.”

Daichi was waving his hand, “Don’t mind, Kageyama, you’ve been out of practice and you’re not used to it.”

Kageyama gritted his teeth and quickly bowed his head, “I’m sorry!  Please be patient with me.”

Hinata shouted from the line up, “Get with it Kageyama!  We don’t have time to waste on your half-ass attitude.”

Glaring at the shorter player suddenly, he marched over and grabbed his collar, “Why you – “

Miyo blew the whistle, “Drop it guys!  Get back in place!”

Kageyama dropped Hinata and went back to the net, but his gaze brushed over the bleachers behind Miyo’s shoulder.  She glanced back, wondering what he was looking at, but she didn’t see anything.  But then it clicked into place.  That was the problem.

The rest of practice went just like that, all of Kageyama’s successful tosses were few and far between and were anything but perfect.  He certainly wasn’t looking like the genius everyone said he was.  Taking a break, Koushi was trying to cheer him up by saying, “Relax, Kageyama, everyone has their bad days.  No one is blaming you for it.”

“I am!”  Hinata spat, causing Kageyama to pick him up and throw him just to make himself feel better.

Miyo walked up, dropping the whistle out of her mouth and asked, “Think maybe it’s because you’re having a hard time concentrating?”

Kageyama stiffened up and shouted suddenly, “That’s ridiculous!  Of course I’m not!  There is nothing more important to me than getting better.  It’s just like the senpai said, I haven’t been practicing as much as I’m used to and it’s causing me to have an off day – “

“Then why have you been fine at all the morning practices?”  Miyo demanded, trying to help the stubborn boy see what his problem was.

He just grumbled and look away.  “I don’t know, okay?”

“There’s something on your mind?”

“Whatever, let’s just… get back to practice.”

…

After cleaning everything up and waiting on Hinata to change, Miyo happened to notic e that even though Kageyama had finished his cleaning and changing, he was still standing at the bleachers, bouncing the volleyball.  Hinata strolled out a few minutes later and cheerily asked, “Ready to go, Miyo-chan?”

“Yeah.”  She agreed, and a blush lit her cheeks when he took her hand.  

They were just about to the door when Hinata looked over his shoulder and shouted, “What are you waiting around for?  You’re the last one here.”

“It’s none of your business.” Kageyama snarled at him, but Miyo noticed that his glare seemed to rest solely on their hands.  He quickly looked away, angrily tossing the ball back into the wall and dropping down on the bleachers.

Miyo and Hinata exchanged a look before they headed out.

Kageyama sat on the bleachers for probably another hour while staring at his phone.  It was getting close to eight pm and he hadn’t heard a word from her.  He didn’t want to go try and hunt her down and risk her showing up, but he really would have expected a message by now.   He had texted her a few times, but got no answer and he didn’t want to make himself seem clingier than he already did.   He put his phone away and got up slowly.  Had she… forgotten?  He put the ball up before he headed out, making his way to the room where the engineers met.  Down the hall from the door, he could hear talking and laughing and it made his stomach do flips.   He glanced in the open door way to see that they were tossing around a ball while Kamui typed on her computer.  He stayed there for a few minutes, a guy occasionally cracking a joke that he didn’t get, it caused Kamui to laugh between typing keys.

She was laughing with someone besides him.  He shifted so he was out of sight and stayed leaning against the wall, feeling like his heart was trying to stop beating.  It was just as he’d suspected.  She was finding new people that she got along with better, that weren’t rude like he was.  She was happier here than she was with him.  His grip on his bag strap tightened.  He had to accept that.

“Hey, Kamui-chan, do you want us to walk you home?  You don’t want to go home in the dark alone right?”

“Hm, no, I – “ There was a long pause and suddenly a gasp.  “Crap!  I have to go!”

“What mid-code?  What’s wrong?”

“I was supposed to meet To-kun over an hour ago – “

“He’s probably gone on home.”

“He’s text me several times… crap…”  He could hear her suddenly shoving several things into her bag and then zipping it up before telling all of them goodbye.  She had just trotted past the open door when he reached out, catching her bag and pulling her back.

Kamui gasped, “Oh you’re here, To-kun?  Why didn’t you come in?”

He looked away.  “You were having fun…”

“Yeah and?  Why didn’t you come in and join?”

He looked away and prodded her on.  “Let’s just get you home.”

She didn’t need him anymore.  Those words stung so badly.  She’d already learned to be happy without him.  Now, he’d just be a burden.  He asked her, “Would it be easier for those guys to walk you home instead of trying to match schedules?”

Kamui tipped her head.  “Well… it’d be  _ easier _ …”

“Okay then… just let me know that you make it home.”  Kageyama told her.

Kamui paused.  “Are you saying you’re not going to anymore?”

When he stopped and looked back at her, he realized she’d been holding her hand out, waiting for him to take it, but he hadn’t noticed.  Her hand started to drop back down to her side, but he caught it before it did and questioned, “Didn’t you just say it’d be easier?”

“Yes, but that’s not what I want.”  Kamui corrected, squeezing his hand.  “I go home with you… that’s how it’s been for weeks now…  I can’t just… let someone else walk me home.  It’s not the same.”

“Kamui…”

“I only feel safe with you.”

“Right… I forgot about that.”

“Please keep taking me home.”

“Okay.”


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning, Kamui was listening to Noya try to explain receives to Hinata for the hundredth time.  But just like all the other times, it was just rambling nonsense.  “It goes saa and then suu, like that.  Then pon.  That’s it.”  Noya was motioning with his arms as he explained.

Tanaka grumbled, “It’s no good… guys who move on instinct are n’t  gonna get one bit of what he’s saying.”  

“Really?”  Kageyama asked as he drank from his water bottle.  “I more or less understood it though.”

“Come to think of it, whenever you’re explaining something, the people around you’ve got no idea what you’re saying either!”

“Eh?”  Kageyama asked in genuine confusion.

Miyo told Daichi, “I’m not sure how much good Noya is doing Hinata.  He doesn’t seem to get any of it and it’s been a couple weeks now.”

“I was thinking that, too.  And then I was really concerned when Kageyama was struggling yesterday evening, but he seemed to be right back in the game today.  Guess it really was just a fluke yesterday.”

“Hopefully.”  Miyo stated, glancing over when the gym doors opened.  It was a group of four, frankly, nerdy looking guys  and they poked their head around, looking all over for a few moments before they seemed to spy someone and started waving for them to come over.

Kamui trotted off the bleachers and walked over, asking, “What’s up?”

“I think that new SQL you sent us last night works.  It’s responding correctly now, but we still have to build a mechanism for it.”  Henry stated.

“Really?” Kamui asked, bouncing on her toes.

“We still have a long way to go, but it’s one hurdle down.  Wanna come take a look at it?”

Kamui nodded her head, trotting back over and grabbing her bag, waving goodbye to everyone before heading out.  Miyo waved goodbye as well and shouted good luck.  But she curiously looked over at Kageyama in t ime to see him turn away, a  distant look of sadness in his gaze.  Miyo pursed her lips, “Ah.  That’s what it is.”

“What is?  What’s what?”  Hinata asked, jumping in front of Miyo who suddenly flung her arms around him and started giving him a noogie.

“Go back to practicing now, mister!  No slacking off!”  Miyo ordered.

Hinata did as he was told, but when he walked up to Noya, he suddenly asked, “By the way, who is this Asahi person that everyone’s been talking about?”

They all stiffened in surprise that he would just carelessly ask and Tanaka yelled, “Don’t just blurt out that name like that!”

Noya answered, “Karasuno’s ace… or he  _ should _  be.”

Hinata’s eyes widened with excitement and Noya grumbled, “What’s with you?”

“I… want to become an ace!” Hinata shouted.

Kageyama seethed, “He’s going on about that again…!”

“A number of years ago, a fter seeing  Karasuno’s ace, the small giant, at the spring high school championship, I decided that I would definitely become like him and came to Karasuno!”

“You wanna be an ace with that height?” Noya asked.

Hinata looked sad all of a sudden and clutched the ball close to him.

But Noya suddenly started patting his arm and shouted, “That’s awesome!  You wanna do it cause it’s really cool, right?  Awesome!  That’s great!  Do it!  Become an ace!  You’re nowhere near as promising as our current ace, though.  But when you talk about admirable, you gotta be the ace, huh?”

“Yes!  Aces are really cool!”

“The sound of the word’s already plenty cool, geez.  Compared to the star player known as an ace spiker, the setter and libero just look really plain.”  Koushi tried to calm an irritated Kageyama.  Noya continued, “Still, during a match, no matter how incredible the spike, what excites and awes the crowd the most is when they see a super receive.  In the battle of height that is volleyball, Libero might be the only position where a short player can thrive.  However, I’m not a libero because of my height.  Even if I were 2 meter s tall, I’d still play as Libero.  Even if you can’t spike the ball, even if you can’t block it, if the ball doesn’t touch the floor, then you can’t lose in volleyball.  And the one who is best at ensuring that is the Libero!”

Hinata gaped in awe at how cool Nishinoya was.  After several minutes of flattery, Noya asked, “So what’s your special skill, aspiring ace?”

“Er.”

“Your receives are really clumsy, so it s  not gonna be that.”

“D-… coy…”

“Huh?  Coil?”

“D…Decoy…”

“Why’re you say it with such a lack of confidence?”

“Compared to stuff like Ace, or Guardien Deity, or Control Tower, it just doesn’t have any sort of impact…”

“Nicknames’ve got nothing to do with it, y’know?”

“Still…”

“If someone’s spike can succeed thanks to your being a decoy, then the importance of your position won’t change.  Just like all those other positions.”

“…Right.”

Miyo frowned.  No matter how hard he tried, Hinata just wasn’t into the idea of the position he’d been given.”

Noya added, “Well, I haven’t seen you in a match.  If your decoy was crappy then there’s no point to it.”

“That’s right.”  Koushi stated.  “The present Karasuno has the strongest decoy.  If the combo of Hinata and Kageyama is here, then I’m sure even spikes which haven’t been successful up to now will definitely connect!”

“…Yeah.”  Miyo and Daichi agreed.

…

Kamui hurried to the courtyard where Kageyama was sitting, slurping at his juice while glaring at the table.  As soon as she arrived, she panted, “S-sorry…”

“You’re late.”

“The guys wanted to show me the progress they’d made.”

“Since this morning?”

“Every little bit of change affects the code in my program.  I have to make changes for it.”

“So… more work for you, huh?”

“Yeah…”

Kageyama looked away.  It’d been like this for a while now.  She kept going early and being late and they’d hardly spent any time together.  He rolled his eyes and went back to his  juice as she sat down beside him .  Now he was getting so frustrated it was hard for them to even enjoy the little time they got together now.

“You’re mad?”  Kamui asked, investigating his face.

“No.”

“You seem like it…”

“Well I’m not okay?”

“Then why are you glaring at – “

“I said I’m not mad!” Kageyama yelled at her.  “Will you just drop it!?”

Kamui flinched and scooted away.  “S-sorry…”  She stammered.  The fact that she scooted away caused his heart to stop and he gritted his teeth, glaring over his shoulder.  What was the matter with him?  All he was doing was helping those guys steal her away from him.

After a moment of nervously messing with her bag, she asked, “Y-you… haven’t had lunch yet?”

“I was waiting on you.”

“G-good…”  Kamui stated, reaching into her bag.  She pulled out two bento boxes and stated, “I got up really early and made these for us.  I remember you mentioning you like curry so I tried my hand it.  I don’t know if it’s any good, so if not, we can go pick something up instead.”

He stared down at the bento box for the longest time, his cheeks becoming the stupidest, lamest shade of bright pink.  He looked away, feeling embarrassed that he’d get excited over something so stupid, but here he was, getting knots in his stomach because his adorable as shit girlfriend had made him his favorite meal.  And… right after he yelled at her.

He eagerly took a bite before his eyes widened in surprise.  He quickly swallowed the large mouthful and told her, “This is fantastic!”

“R-really?”

Kageyama stopped when there was a bright, excited sparkle in her eye.  It was the same kind of sparkle that was there when she was talking about her programs.  Had she always been so happy when it came to things involving him and he just missed it?  Or was he seriously just getting that jealous of those guys she was hanging out with.   He nodded his head, reassuring her that she’d done a good job.

It caused her to smile in the most vibrant way and she eagerly dug into the rest of her food.  It didn’t take them long to get through their meals and when they were done, Kageyama reached over with a napkin and wiped her face off.  She leaned into his hands in the cutest way, making noises as he stroked her cheeks.  He paused and suddenly asked her, “Will you go on another date with me?  This Saturday, please.”

Kamui blinked and she smiled more, nodding her head.  “Of course I will, To-kun.  What a silly question.  Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere.  I just want to spend time with you.  I… miss you…”  Kageyama confessed suddenly.

Kamui touched his hands and asked, “Is that why you’re unhappy, To-kun…?”

He swallowed a shuddering breath.  “I know you have a lot going on, but I – “

She leaned forward and kissed him softly.  His whole body felt bright red when she did, remembering the last time she had instigated a kiss.  It always felt more special when she was the one who leaned in to him, reminding him that she wanted to kiss him as much as he did her.  She whispered, “You keep forgetting you’re supposed to tell me what’s on your mind…”

Kageyama looked away, like the next words he was going to speak were forbidden.  “It’s not… like I’m saying you can’t hang out with guys… but… the fact that you’re hanging out with guys that have a lot more in common with you than me, as well as flirting with you every chance they get… it makes me… insanely jealous… I want to have that connection with you, but I’m not smart enough for all that computer programming stuff.”

Kamui stared at him for several moments.   She laced her fingers together and stated, “I… don’t know about all the flirting.  I don’t recognize that kind of stuff.  And… I don’t know if this will make things better or worse, but… here’s the truth.”  She turned to him, reaching into his lap and taking his hands with her own, which caused him to instinctively turn back to face her as well.  “I really enjoy being able to talk with someone about the geek stuff that no one else likes.  I do.  Because I can’t expect people to just…figure things out and start talking to me about it.  I would never expect anyone to do that, especially you, who has so many goals and aspirations with volleyball.”  She paused and changed her course of conversation for a moment.  “But… that first day you joined me at the club… you tried.  You were more than just dealing with it… you wanted to try and be a part of it and even though you can never get that far into it, it… meant more to me than you realize.  Just that effort… that… attention and affection in your gaze as you tried understanding such complicated things just so you could be apart of something important to me… nobody has ever done that.  That was the reason I was so happy that day.  That was the reason I had to kiss you that day.”  She squeezed his hands.  “But there is something… that makes me even happier than that.  That I genuinely want.  And that’s… the expressions on your face when you play volleyball.  That happiness that is your eyes when a toss connects, when you score a point… when you win the game.  I crave the happiness on your face more than I’ve ever craved anything.  That’s why I want you to go to your practices and keep working hard.  It’s not that I don’t want you there or anything silly like that – so if that’s what you’re thinking and has you down, then stop.”  She slowly brought his hand up to her cheek and whispered, “Because of you, I’ve begun feeling things I didn’t even know were emotions.  I’ve learned what happiness and sadness are and I don’t regret it.  Because you’re right.  All of it ’s  worth the feeling I get with you.  I don’t get that feeling anywhere else.  There have been times those guys bumped into me or nudged me or came in some kind of contact with me… but every time I feel…  _ uncomfortable _ .  Being near them is nothing like being near you.  I only like being near you.  I only  _ want _  to be near you.  I enjoy other things we do every bit as much and if not more than I do talking nerd with those guys.  I can’t… stop you being jealous and that’s fine.  I don’t want to change you.  But please bear in mind what I’ve just told you when it starts to bother you, okay?”

Kageyama was quiet for the longest time, just staring at her.   Then he finally slid his hands up to her cheeks and gently pulled her forward into a deep, passionate kiss.  It caught her off guard but she welcomed and returned it, spending several moments focusing on every movement of his lips.  It sent an electric feeling through her but she didn’t find it unpleasant.  He pulled back and whispered to her, “You’re perfect… Kamui…”  He brushed her obsidian hair back from her face and carried on, “I’m so sorry for how terrible we started off… I had never given thought to the way others felt.  You were a slap to reality and I’m so… lucky that you forgave me.  Because now I see what a perfect diamond you are.  I couldn’t ask for anyone better to be with me… to deal with me…”

Kamui shook her head.  “I don’t deal with you… I… truly appreciate and care about you…”

“Please don’t ever change, Kamui… Please…”  Kageyama begged softly.

“You’re the one trying to get me to feel more emotions.”

Kageyama chuckled and stated, “Right.  Besides that.”

“Okay…”  They rested their foreheads together for what could have been forever with just their noses brushing on occasion.  But they finally both returned to their lunch and enjoyed the rest of the time they had left together.

…

“You’re annoyingly persistent, aren’t you?”

Miyo scratched her cheek and explained, “Sorry.  I get it from my mom.”

Miyo was in the grocery store during her lunch break, chatting with the owner whom she’d come to realize was the grandson of the famous Coach Ukai.

“Doesn’t matter how many times ya say it, I ain’t gonna coach or anything like that.  My gramps is the one who did the coaching.”

“I’ve heard that even in high school and college, you excelled in mentoring underclassmen.  And that you were very sharp at analyzing opposing schools.  You’re perfectly capable, aren’t you?”

“Who said all that crap?”  Ukai demanded before sighing.  “Still, even if ya praise me like that, in the end I’m basically a greenhorn.  What you want is a technical instructor, but me teaching people would be outta characters.  Above all, it’s the name ‘Coach Ukai’ you want, ain’t it?”

“To be honest… yes.”  Miyo answered.  “Since retiring, Coach Ukai has g radu ally become estranged from other schools.   And this year, with a notice like me, I haven’t really been able to set up practice matches.  It’s frustrating.”

“So you’re saying that if you’ve got that illustrious name, things might change, right?”  Ukai opened his book and started reading through it once again.  “Sorry, but I ain’t gonna play babysitter to some pain-in-the-ass high schoolers.”

“I’ll come again…”

“Like I keep telling ya, I ain’t gonna do it.”

“I apologize for being so persistent, but I think you would understand the reason why if you watched them in a match.”

This made Ukai frown, but he watched her walk out of the store.

…

Kamui was sitting in class when a hand slapped down on her desk.  Kamui looked up at the girl responsible, a bit surprised to see that it was Lily.  She was wearing her school uniform but it wasn’t exactly correct.  Her tie was loose around her neck and not tucked in and her jacket was only up over one shoulder.  She also wasn’t wearing slacks but black leather-style jeans instead.  Kamui tipped her head and questioned, “Do you need something?”

“Come with me!”  Lily ordered, picking her up by the arm and dragging out of class. 

Miyo watched with curiosity as the two left the classroom and she couldn’t resist sneaking out after them to see what was going on.   She had made it a ways down the hall way before she bumped into Hinata and Kageyama in the hallway.  She straightened up and asked, "What are you boys doing?”

Kageyama pointed at Hinata and answered plainly.  “He wants to meet the Asahi guy everyone’s been talking about.”

“Oh yeah?”  Miyo questioned.

Hinata asked, “What are you doing, Miyo-chan?”

“I was spying.”  Miyo put a finger to her lips, signaling them to keep quiet and waving them after her.  They went down the hall and took a corner where Lily and Kamui were standing, talking.   The other two boys peeked around with Miyo as they all eavesdropped.

“I… don’t understand what you’re asking me to do.”

“You’re better with words than I am.  Just tell him he needs to play!”

“He who?”

“Asahi!”

“Who is Asahi?”

“He’s a third year.  The ace spiker?  Come on.”

“If he doesn’t want to play then he doesn’t want to play.  I can’t force him.”

“Please try.”

“To force him?”

“To  _ convince _  him.  You got me to do something I never thought I’d do.  I know that Asahi wants to play volleyball, he just… won’t admit it…”

“You’re so persistent about this.  I feel like the words coming from me would be a little silly.”

“Kamui, please!”

Kamui sighed.  “I’m not talking to him.  I’ll go in with you.”  With that, she pushed Lily forward and into the classroom.  In the back corner, a tall man with his brown hair pulled back into a bun or ponytail type arrangement, looked up from his book.  His eyes read surprise but there was a smile on his lips.

“Lily.  You’re back.  I thought you were finished with school.”

“I decided I wasn’t happy how things were.  I wanted… to at least finish what I’d started.”

“If you’re cutting back your hours, can you afford tuition still?”

Lily fanned her hand.  “No worries, Asahi-san.  I got it.”  She lingered a long moment before she decided to just dive right in.  “Please… go back to the volleyball club.  Nishinoya’s ban on club activities has already been lifted and he’s returned.”

“I see… ” Asahi smiled and leaned back o n his desk.  “That’s good.  It’s definitely reassuring to have Nishinoya at their back.”

“They need you too, idiot!”  Lily shouted.  “If you’d only call out for a toss, everyone would feel reassured.”

Asahi fanned his hand.  “I’m glad you think that, but… even if I came back, I’d just drag everyone down again.”

Lily grabbed his collar and shook him, “Stop talking like an idiot, idiot!”

“The team has changed.”  Kamui chimed in.  “ There’s a first year setter with a lot of talent as well as a strong decoy.  You don’t have to shoulder any burdens alone as an ace.”

“If you and Nishinoya both return, and with the new fighters, Karasuno won’t be a fallen champion anymore!”

Another student shouted out for Asahi, saying it was his turn to go in for career counseling.  Asahi got up and stated, “I’m sorry, Lily.”  He reached out and mussed her hair before turning away and heading out the door.  Just as he was about to leave, though, he bumped into Hinata, Kageyama, and Miyo.

Lily had given chase to Asahi but she glared at the other three when they showed up in front of him.  “What the hell are you doing here?”  To Asahi, she explained, “These are the two new first years.  I haven’t seen them play, but Kamui says they’re good.”  

Hinata and Kageyama greeted him and bowed.

Kamui added, “The girl is Miyoko and she’s the new team manager.  I assist when I can.”

“How many first years are there this year?”

“Four.  Not a lot but all these boys have talent.”

“I see.”  Asahi stated.  He reached out and patted Hinata’s arm.  “Good luck and do your best.”

Hinata looked shocked and shouted, “Aren’t we gonna do our best together?  I want to become an ace, so I wanna see the real thing in action! ”

The same student called Asahi to remind him to hurry along.

Asahi told Hinata flatly, “Sorry… I’m no ace.”  With that he turned and walked away.

Lily gritted her teeth, wanting to chase after him, but instead, she punched the wall hard enough it made Kamui jump.  Kageyama looked at her and asked, “I don’t really understand what’s going on.  Is he injured or something?”

“No… that’s not it.”

“Then… he can’t return for some reason?”

“No… there aren’t any sort of external factors.  The problem is that he’s gotten scared.”

“He’s probably come to hate volleyball.”  Kamui added.  

Lily whirled around, grabbing her collar and pushing her against the wall, “The fuck did you say!?”

Kageyama immediately intervened, not wanting to hurt a woman, but he pried Lily’s hand off and pulled Kamui behind him.

Kamui explained, “I’m just saying that based on what I saw.  He shows no desire to want to return.  It appears to me he doesn’t want to.”

Lily gritted her teeth and looked away.  “Asahi is strong and was the tallest person the team had.  He would succeed despite dire situations and difficult-to-hit balls, so everyone thought of him as the ace…”

Kageyama questioned, “And they were defeated, right?”

Lily nodded her head.  “In that match, Asahi’s spikes were completely and utterly blocked.”

“Eh… th- “ Hinata began but Lily gripped the ends of her shirt to keep herself from swinging a fist.

“You’re probably thinking ‘that’s all’ right?  That’s what’s going through your head!”  Lily shouted.

“Ah!  No!”  Hinata corrected.  “Getting blocked is really really really annoying so I completely understand that.  But… to hate volleyball because of it…”

“You could say that Asahi, as the ace, would always be targeted, even in serving and blocking but, in that match they were utterly unable to do anything.”  Lily explained.  “Asahi is the sort who would feel doubly responsible… so….”

Miyo asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you know all this?  Kamui and I used to watch the matches when we could and we’d fetch  food for the guys upon Daichi-nii’s request, but… I don’t remember ever seeing you…”

Lily shrugged her shoulders.  “I didn’t spend a lot of time with the team.  I was on the girls volleyball team and I’d gone to a couple matches before, but when I saw Asahi play for the first time, it changed everything for me.   I found my purpose in playing my own games, I saw what it was like to genuinely enjoy them, and I saw someone who looked so good playing the game.   I found him in school the next day and… I’d like to say we became friends immediately after that conversation, so I started attending all of his matches that I could.”  She shot a look at Kamui, “Then I got placed under house arrest and…”  Her gaze softened as she finished, “Asahi came and visited me every single day.  He loved talking about his games up until that one single match.  I’d convinced my manager to let me off so I could go see it.  He wasn’t the same ever since then, though.”

Kamui’s eyes were a bit wide with surprise.  The feelings that Lily was describing were the same as what Kamui had felt when she’d seen Kageyama play the first time.  If something had happened and caused Kageyama to quit something he loved so dearly…

Kamui’s brows furrowed and her eyes filled with determination.  She would help Lily convince the ace to at least try and play again.  They had to.  This was the first time she’d felt something like this.  She believed it was empathy.  She knew what Lily’s feelings were and if she was correct… then… the hard-core delinquent wasn’t just content being friends with Asahi…

She was in love with him.

Miyo jumped and suddenly reminded all of them.  “By the way!  Club activities are starting soon.  You boys need to go get changed!”

They all separated but Kageyama followed Kamui to the engineering room.  When they were almost there, Kamui turned to him and stated suddenly, “I want to help Lily convince Asahi to return.”

“Hm, you do?”  Kageyama stated.  It was the first time she admitted to wanting anything that didn’t have to do with him.  It caused a strange rock to settle in his stomach – similar to the one that came when she was with the brainy guys, but at the same time, a smile came to his face.  She was opening up more.  That and she was telling him exactly what it is she wanted.  “Can I ask why?  Not – Not that there’s anything wrong with you wanting that, I’m just curious.”

“The way Lily was talking about Asahi and seeing  him play volleyball, reminded me of the feelings I got when I watched you play the first time.”

Kageyama grumbled and looked away.  “You mean the day I told you to get lost, right?  Back in high school?”

Kamui nodded.  “I choose to overlook that part and tell myself you were just in a bad mood.  But either way – yes.  So… I thought about how I’d feel if you were to suddenly get upset after a game and quit after putting in so much effort.  I know that you won’t but, if you did…”

Kageyama was suddenly nodding his head.  “Got it.  We’ll help.  No matter what.”

“Really?”

“If it’s something you want, then so do I.”  He told her honestly.

Kamui leaned up and pecked his lips.  “Thank you, To-kun.  Good luck at practice… I promise not to be late this time.”

“Just… text me if you are.  I don’t mind waiting if you’re in the middle of something.”  He pulled her in and held her for a moment.  “I was just worried about you last time.”

“Right, sorry.”  Kamui confessed.


End file.
